PITTSBURGH — Tonight's Monday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns could be quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's final game at Heinz Field.
The 39-year-old signal-caller, who is coming to the end of his 18th season in Pittsburgh, recently admitted that "all signs" point to it being his final home game.
The Steelers (7-7-1) are mathematically alive in the chase for an AFC playoff berth, but their chances are slim. They need to win their final two games (tonight vs. Cleveland and at Baltimore next week), then hope the Indianapolis Colts are upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 and that the outcome of the Week 18 clash between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers does not end in a tie.
But even if the Steelers somehow slip into the postseason, they would wind up playing on the road -- meaning tonight's game is likely Roethlisberger's last in Pittsburgh.
If he retires at the end of this season, Roethlisberger will leave as one of the most successful quarterbacks in the Steelers' rich franchise history.
Since his arrival in Pittsburgh in 2004, when he was selected 11th overall in the NFL Draft, Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to eight AFC North Division titles, three conference championships, and three trips to the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL in 2005, and won a second title with a 27-23 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in 2008. The Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV in 2010.
Ironically, Roethlisberger's best individual performance in the Super Bowl came in that 2010 loss, when he completed 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns.
In his first Super Bowl appearance, Roethlisberger went 9-for-21 for 123 yards and was intercepted twice, but did contribute a 1-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh won the game with a 43-yard TD pass from Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward on a trick play in the fourth quarter.
In Super Bowl XLIII, Roethlisberger completed 21 of 30 passes for 256 yards and hit Santonio Holmes for a 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left to defeat the Cardinals.
Entering Monday, Roethlisberger has more than 63,000 career passing yards and 400 touchdowns in the regular season, and has thrown for 5,757 yards and 28 touchdowns in 22 playoff starts. He has made six Pro Bowls and will retire as the Steelers' all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
But his early career was not without off-field controversy. He suffered severe facial and head injuries in a 2006 motorcycle accident in downtown Pittsburgh in June 2006, though the injuries did not cost him any playing time.
In 2009, he had more serious offseason trouble when he was accused of sexual assault at a Lake Tahoe hotel in a civil lawsuit brought by Andrea McNulty, who sued Roethlisberger in civil court after her attempt to have criminal charges brought against him was unsuccessful due to lack of evidence. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2011.
In 2010, Roethlisberger was accused of sexually assaulting another woman, this time in Georgia. His accuser, a 20-year-old Georgia State student, claimed Roethlisberger raped her in the restroom of a nightclub where the two had met. No criminal charges were brought against Roethlisberger, but the NFL suspended him for the first six games of the 2010 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy. (The suspension was later reduced to four games.)
Roethlisberger met and married his wife, Ashley, in 2011 and has had no off-field controversies since.
The 6-5, 240-pound Roethlisberger is the last of the 2004 Quarterback Draft Class to leave the NFL. Fellow first-round picks Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who were selected ahead of Roethlisberger, have both recently stepped down.
“I hope that the fans will say I never quit,” Roethlisberger told ESPN in a recent interview. “I’ve given everything I have. Shoot, last week I was begging to get back in the game, down 30 with nine minutes to go. Coach let me go in that series and not the next one.
“I just don’t know how to quit.”
ROETHLISBERGER'S CAREER STATS (entering Monday night's game)
PASSING YARDS - 62,721
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS - 416
RUSHING YARDS - 1,378
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS - 20
QB RECORD - 163-81-1
2004 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
6x Pro Bowler
2x Super Bowl Champion