Steeler Nation breathes easy thanks to Big Ben

That strong autumn breeze you felt around campus around 8 p.m. on Sunday was actually a… That strong autumn breeze you felt around campus around 8 p.m. on Sunday was actually a collective sigh of relief coming from the North Shore when the Steelers sealed a 45-7 pounding of the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field.

Most of the much-needed relief from the Steeler nation came from the man who in his first two seasons captivated the heart of this blue-collar city, but who has caused some heartbreak in the past couple of months – Big Ben Roethlisberger.

The whole city falling in love with him seemed inevitable ever since Ben stepped onto the field as a rookie to replace the injured Tommy Maddox in 2004. He seemingly had the magic touch. That first season he just couldn’t lose.

He managed to win every regular-season start and produce the franchise’s best regular-season record at 15-1. The magic fell short when the Steelers were defeated by New England in the AFC Championship game, but Ben still claimed the Rookie of the Year Award and proved that he was something special.

While the 2005 regular-season record was nothing to write home about, we all know what Ben did in the postseason. Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl when he led the Steelers to three road playoff victories and then they finally topped Seattle in the big game to capture that elusive “one-for-the-thumb.”

Ben was a record breaker and a proven winner; there was no doubt that he was exactly what this team needed and would be their franchise player for probably the next decade.

Well we all know when that very doubt crept in – June 13, 2006. Amidst all the championship celebration of the off-season, tragedy struck. Ben was hit riding his motorcycle downtown and nearly killed. After some extensive surgeries and a long road to recovery, it looked like Ben would be fine and be ready to go for the start of this season.

Then days before the opener, Ben had an emergency appendectomy and would definitely miss the game against Miami. That game would be the Steelers’ only win in their first four games and the only game Roethlisberger missed.

He returned to action in Week Two against the Jaguars. Some said it was too soon, and Ben pretty much proved them prophetic. He completed 17 of 32 passes for no scores and only 141 yards. He also threw two interceptions and had a rating of 38.7.

The next two games wouldn’t get any easier. Against defending divisional champ Cincinnati, Ben threw 39 times and completed only 18 of those attempts, none for touchdowns. He threw three interceptions and had an even worse passer rating of 30.7. After a bye week when everyone thought he would return to his old winning form, Roethlisberger still disappointed. He threw two more picks and was rated at 58.5.

Ben’s season rating was at 41.7 (his career rating before this season was a gaudy 98.3), and all of his starts were losses that dropped the defending Super Bowl champs to 1-3 heading into Sunday’s game.

The Chiefs were statistically one of the league’s best defenses coming into Sunday’s match up with the Steelers. They were fourth in overall defense, fourth against the pass and allowed just 52 points in four games. If the Steelers fell to 1-4, it seemed as if their title defense would have been over before it ever started.

Enter that sigh of relief I mentioned.

Ben looked like the Ben we had all fallen in love with – he completed 16 of 19 passes, threw two touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating of 153.8.

What’s more important to Steelers’ fans than Ben’s numbers is that the Steelers looked like the team we all knew they could be. They got back to what we have come to know as Steeler football.

The Steelers used a balanced attack to build an early lead. They scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions, and led 31-0 at halftime. Then they shut down and protected the ball in the second half.

Ben isn’t ready to declare himself “back” just yet. After the game, he responded to a similar question from reporters with “not yet, I won’t say that yet.”

However, he added, “We hope this can be a turning point for us. I think today was a better indication of the way we can play.”

While Sunday did seem to be an indication of how the Steelers can play this season, it also could have been a turning point because of what happened elsewhere in the division. Both Baltimore and Cincinnati, the two teams ahead of the Steelers in the AFC North standings, lost on Sunday and now both have two losses – only one fewer than the Steelers, who seem to be on the right track now.

It seems as if that sigh of relief from the Steeler Nation was well merited. So all together now:

“Welcome back Big Ben.”