Ben Roethlisberger Comments on Bengals Game, Antonio Brown, Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has helped lead his team to a 2-0 record and is fresh off a big win against his NFC North divisional rival Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.  

However, he revealed there is room for improvement when speaking with The Cook and Poni Show on Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan, via CBS Pittsburgh: "You know, I thought that there were a lot of mistakes by all of us, little ones. Nothing major, there weren’t a bunch of mistakes on one particular play."

After trouncing the Washington Redskins 38-16 on Monday Night Football in Week 1, the Steelers took down the Bengals 24-16 in Week 2.

It was their first meeting since a wild AFC Wild Card Game in January that saw $83,665 in fines given out, per John Breech of CBSSports.com. The Steelers narrowly moved on with an 18-16 win. 

Roethlisberger said that the Week 2 game was far more civil than the last time these two teams squared off in the postseason:

"

You know what it felt like? It felt like a good AFC North football game. It was physical. I mean, I’m super sore today, a lot of us are sore. It was hard-fought. There was nothing cheap, there was nothing dirty that I saw…none of that.

"

Pittsburgh was still able to pull out a victory despite its biggest offensive weapon being stymied for most of the afternoon, along with a shaky day behind center from Roethlisberger.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown, who has had over 100 receptions in each of the previous three seasons and started 2016 with eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns, was held to just four catches for 39 yards. 

The Steelers signal-caller was quick to point out it's nothing to be alarmed about:

"

AB’s going to get his catches, he’s going to get his yards because he’s the best in the business and we all know that. We just need AB not to get down if he has a game like this. He knows he’s the best, we all know he’s the best…and he wants to break records, I mean records are meant to be broken. It’s awesome when you do it. It’s awesome when you help teammates break records but at the end of the day, I think AB just wants to win a championship.

"

That connection will have to be right come Week 3 when the Steelers face their in-state rival Philadelphia Eagles, who are also 2-0 this year. 

Roethlisberger has played the Eagles three times in his career, posting a 2-1 record. But that one loss sticks out in his memory. The Steelers lost the Week 3 matchup 15-6 in 2008 when he threw for just 131 yards with an interception:

"

I’m not a big ‘remembering games’ type guy, especially losses, but that’s one that I do remember vividly. I remember getting sacked 8 or 9 times. I remember driving home from the airport after that game and thinking to myself, ‘do I want to keep doing this? Do I really want to keep playing football.

"

That season ended well for him, though, as the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals to win Super Bowl XLIII and give him a second championship ring. 

Fast forward to this season and a win against the Eagles will give the Steelers their first 3-0 start since 2010, which could be good enough to take the AFC North lead if the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars.