Ben Roethlisberger was still in the process of picking himself up | general | Forum

 Heinz Field turf when the scrum started Mason Rudolph Jersey , one that sent a message that at the moment it might be unwise to mess with the Pittsburgh Steelers.Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and right guard David DeCastro were not particularly pleased with how Carolina safety Eric Reid launched himself at Pittsburgh’s franchise quarterback as Roethlisberger finished off an 18-yard scramble during the third quarter of a 52-21 dismantling of the Panthers on Thursday night.Together the two perennial Pro Bowlers — a combined 630 pounds give or take a meal — let Reid and a handful of his teammates know they didn’t appreciate Reid’s approach to his job. What followed was 30 seconds of flexing, grabbing and shoving before Reid was ejected for targeting.“You’ve got to be there for your guy,” DeCastro said. “Just trying to stand up for him and show him we’ve got his back.”As the Steelers made their way back to the huddle, Roethlisberger gave his linemen peace of mind should the NFL decide to hit their wallets after sticking up for him.“Ben came up after and said, ‘If any fine gets handed out, I’ll handle that,'” Pouncey said with a laugh.Pouncey, in the fourth year of a five-year contract that will pay him $44 million, can certainly afford to write the check. He believes the fact he won’t have to if it comes to that says a lot about Roethlisberger — and a lot about the current climate within the Pittsburgh locker room.“It’s cool man,” Pouncey said. “I appreciate all the guys repping like that.”Those guys have found their identity over the last five weeks. Pittsburgh (6-2-1) set a record for the most points by an NFL team in the 17-year history of Heinz Field while rolling to a fifth straight victory. The reward? Five days off to rest up before starting a daunting final stretch that begins on Nov. 18 in Jacksonville in a playoff rematch that saw the Jaguars stun Pittsburgh at home in January.“Last year is last year,” Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton said. “We’re a different team just like they’re a different team.”If anything, Pittsburgh looks much better than while getting pushed around by Leonard Fournette and Blake Bortles in a confidence-shaking 45-42 setback that led to an exodus in both the secondary and portions of the coaching staff.Randy Fichtner took over for Todd Haley as offensive coordinator and, even with star running back Le’Veon Bell sitting out due to concerns with his one-year contract Ernie Stautner Jersey , has put together an attack that looks as dynamic and varied as anything in the league.James Conner, Bell’s replacement, already has 11 touchdowns through nine games, as many as Bell has scored in any full season. Roethlisberger spread the ball all over the place on a night he finished with more scoring passes (five) than incompletions (three).“We’ve got a lot of weapons on this team and Ben showed it tonight getting the ball to all of them,” DeCastro said.Roethlisberger’s only complaint is that Fichtner may get a little too loud in the headset because he’s so pumped up about the next play call.Pittsburgh’s defense kept Carolina’s Cam Newton under wraps, sacking him five times while limiting the Panthers to 242 yards, the fourth straight game an opponent has finished with 275 yards or less. Save for a couple of early communication breakdowns that allowed Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey to get loose, the Steelers kept things tight.“I don’t think it’s a come-to-Jesus moment where something miraculously just happened,” defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “I think everybody got back to work. It showed on the practice field and it showed ever since. This is a big win, but it’s not like we don’t have games after this. We’ll enjoy it for tonight and enjoy it for the weekend, but when we get back in we have to get back to work.” As successful as the Steelers have been recently when traveling to either Cleveland or Cincinnati, divisional trips to the east have been problematic. Ever since the 2004 season when Ben Roethlisberger made his debut in Baltimore in relief duty for an injured Tommy Maddox, the Steelers have had minimal victories at M&T Bank Stadium. Whether Ben has been the starter or not Joe Haden Jersey , the last 14 years have given little to cheer about for Steelers fans who make the trip to the Inner Harbor. Unfortunately, there are lots of numbers to back up the Steelers struggles in Baltimore.3-7In games Ben Roethlisberger has played in Baltimore, the Steelers have an overall record of 3-7. Nine of those 10 games have been starts for Ben, with the loss in 2004 being the only relief appearance. Overall, the Steelers are 4–10 including the games started by Charlie Batch (2007, 2012), Tommy Maddox (2004, 2005), and Dennis Dixon (2009).280 yardsBen Roethlisberger has not thrown for more than 280 yards in Baltimore in his career. The game in which he hit the 280 yard mark was a 35-7 defeat on opening weekend of 2011. Additionally, Ben has thrown 13 interceptions to 9 touchdowns in Baltimore and his completion percentage is 57.8% (214-370). Ben has not thrown more than two touchdowns in any game in Baltimore, and the two games in which he threw two TDs were both losses (2004, 2013).26 points Last seasons 26-9 defeat of the Ravens in Baltimore was the high mark in points scored by the Steelers in Baltimore since Rothlisberger took over as the team’s quarterback. Before the most recent game, the Steelers have only scored a maximum of 20 points at the Ravens when Roethlisberger has played.0-5 James Washington Jersey , 1-6The Steelers are 0–5 since 2004 when playing games in Baltimore in the month of November. Additionally, they have a record of 1–6 over the same time frame when games are played at 1 PM on a Sunday. The only win of a 1 PM kickoff was last season on October 1.0.667One surprising and frustrating statistic from the Steelers playing in Baltimore since 2004 is the fact they are 4–1 when the Ravens have a winning record, and they are 0-9 when Baltimore (currently 4-4) is .500 or less. The Steelers have defeated the Ravens in games where they entered the contest with records of 9-4, 8-3, 9-2, and 2-1. The only time Baltimore has bested Pittsburgh when they had a record greater than .667 was in 2006 when they defeated the Steelers 27–0 entering with a record of 8-2.19-0When the Steelers held a 19–0 lead going into halftime in Baltimore last season, it was the first time in Ben Roethlisberger’s career when the Steelers went to the locker room at M&T Bank Stadium with the advantage. Before 2017, the Steelers had never scored more than seven points in the first half and had trailed at halftime in every game at the Ravens since 2004. In the 10 games Ben Roethlisberger has played in Baltimore, five of them the team was shut out heading to the intermission.The Law of Averages Statistics are a funny thing. Many times they can be manipulated in order to say just about anything. When the numbers go in your favor, it’s great for confidence. But when the data is so horribly against you (like it is when the Steelers visit Baltimore), one can try to take comfort in the law of averages. Eventually, things will even out. The Steelers showed this last year when they went into Baltimore in Week 4 and took care of business. So let’s end on this…1The winning streak the Steelers currently have in Baltimore.