Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to get sentimental about Ben Roethlisberger perhaps playing his final game at Heinz Field.
The Pittsburgh Steelers close the home portion of their schedule Monday night against the Cleveland Browns. Barring an improbable ascent to the AFC North title, the Steelers won’t play another game at Heinz Field until 2022.
Roethlisberger is expected to retire at the end of this season, his 18th in the NFL.
“My focus and his focus this week is on this game, preparing for this game and performing well in this game,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “I’m sure there will be an appropriate time in the future when I’ll get an opportunity to sing his praises, and I’ll gladly do so. It just doesn’t feel like the appropriate time as we zero in on this opportunity.”
Roethlisberger is 7-7 as a starter this season and has passed for 3,373 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also has been sacked 35 times, his highest total since 2013. But he also has engineered five fourth-quarter comebacks, the most in any of his 18 seasons.
To extend Roethlisberger’s career with another postseason run, the Steelers (7-7-1) need to win their remaining two games — against Cleveland and at Baltimore. They also will need some help to get there as the No. 7 seed.
Roethlisberger is in the final year of his contract, and he hasn’t denied reports he will retire after the season.
“Ben has done a really nice job of setting a nice pace about that throughout the season,” Tomlin said. “He’s been singularly focused on the next challenge and where we are in terms of the here and now. It’s been easy to follow his lead in that regard, and I’m sure we’ll all do the same as we press forward into Monday Night Football.”
