In what was likely his final game at Heinz Field, the Pittsburgh Steelers made sure that veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said goodbye to the home crowd as a winner.
With emotions running high, Roethlisberger helped keep the Steelers' playoff hopes alive, throwing for 123 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the team's 26-14 victory over the rival Cleveland Browns on Monday night. The 39-year-old signal-caller now has 164 wins as a starter, which ranks fifth-most in NFL history.
"I can't say enough about what the fans meant to him, and Ben has talked so much about how he embraces them," Steelers team reporter Missi Matthews told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Tuesday. "The game's over, they win, nobody moved from their seat. Everybody just stood there, and was tearing, chanting... It was so cool to witness, firsthand. You could just see how much it meant to him. He reflected a bit, walked around, gave high-fives to fans...
"It was just really special. He had his closest friends and family in attendance, and they kind of all greeted him. After he did some media availability and stuff, they came back out on the field and took photos, continued to embrace the moment. It was really cool, and what a way to send him off, if indeed this was the last home game for him as a Pittsburgh Steeler."
Although Roethlisberger stole the spotlight, the Steelers' defense played the role of hero. The unit sacked Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield a whopping nine times, and superstar pass-rusher T.J. Watt bumped his season sack total up to 21 -- one short of the NFL record set by legend Michael Strahan in 2001. As for the Steelers' offense, rookie running back Najee Harris thrived on the ground, racking up a season-high 188 yards with a game-sealing touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh (8-7-1), which still remains in the AFC wild-card hunt, will visit the Baltimore Ravens (8-8) in a marquee Week 18 matchup on Sunday afternoon. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Steelers have just a 5-percent chance to reach the playoffs.
The entire Steelers conversation between Matthews and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.