PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Ben Roethlisberger noted it wasn’t just the impressive catches his receivers were making on Sunday that keyed a win. He echoed what Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday about the selflessness of a position group known for being selfish.
Roethlisberger said they aren’t able to do what they did in the final series without the growth of the unit.
“We came out and threw the ball,” Roethlisberger said. “If any of those guys would have been pouting or shut it down because they were disappointed or upset they weren’t getting the ball. We wouldn’t have been successful in that drive.”
“Instead we used up however many minutes. We took the ball down the field and kicked a field goal. That shows the growth and maturity of these guys.”
“Early on it wasn’t going well, but they didn’t let it bother them. They were still there at the end of the game when it mattered the most to make the plays.”
Steelers leading by a touchdown with 5:23 to go in the game, the play calling was aggressive. Initial play a deep pass for Diontae Johnson that led to defensive holding. Then after a three-yard run, a 24-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Roethlisberger would later hit Chase Claypool for 14 and James Washington before kicking the field goal that put the game out of reach.
Roethlisberger praised each of his four key receivers for their efforts, saying all did something a little extra special last Sunday.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
“JuJu was JuJu. He’s tough. He’s reliable. He’s dependable. He does what you ask him to do. He lowers his head on a play and gets you that first down and shows you that physicality.”
“He’s growing into a leader more and more. He’s always been a leader in terms of on the football field how he plays the game. He’s very physical. He’s where he’s supposed to be. He gets those tough yards and tough catches. He’s dependable. He puts in the work and it pays off.”
Diontae Johnson
“I thought Diontae started off the game really well. Got his knee banged pretty bad. I don’t know if the old Diontae would have come back in the game and kept playing and making plays for us. I think that showed a lot of growth.”
James Washington
“James Washington not expected to come in to fill in and catches a ball pretty early on a screen. Gets north and gets us big yards.”
Chase Claypool
“I thought Chase played like a grown man. Some of his catches down the field. Either it’s a catch or it’s a penalty. That’s what we preach to him all the time. He should be unstoppable.”
Roethlisberger said all those guys want the ball. They all want stats and all want numbers. It was how they handled when they didn’t. That’s a key reason why the 18-year veteran said they got the win at Buffalo.