The Pittsburgh Steelers were unlikely to make the playoffs, but thanks to the Indianapolis Colts’ meltdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Las Vegas Raiders deciding to kick the game-winning field goal rather than tieing in overtime, they have found themselves in an unexpected playoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was pretty candid about the team’s chances.
“We’re probably 20-point underdogs and we’re going to the No. 1 team, I know they’re not the No. 1 seed but they’ve won the AFC the last two years, arguably the best team in football…we don’t have a chance. So let’s just go in and have fun,” said Roethlisberger.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger on NFL Wild Card game against the Kansas City Chiefs:
"We don't have a chance, so let's just go in and play and have fun." pic.twitter.com/FjLR8elIbs
— The Recount (@therecount) January 12, 2022
There could be a number of reasons that Roethlisberger could make this statement. He could be trying to get the Chiefs to underestimate them, or he could really believe that at this point in his career that they would be long shots to defeat Kansas City on Sunday night.
Here are some reactions to Big Ben’s comments on the upcoming game.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) January 12, 2022
Ben Roethlisberger not exactly inspiring confidence for Steelers' chances against the Chiefs:
"Out of 14 teams I think are in, we're probably number 14 … We're probably 20-point underdogs."
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) January 12, 2022
https://twitter.com/tkelce4prez/status/1481327106311311369
"We're probably 20-point underdogs…we don't have a chance." – Ben Roethlisberger
Actually, just 12.5-point underdogs 😅pic.twitter.com/QOiCsUlE2h
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) January 12, 2022
Listening the Ben Roethlisberger presser from today and he’s like — yeah we suck but let’s see what happens. 😂
— Megan Strickland (@StricklyMeg) January 12, 2022
Loving the “just here for the vibes” approach 😎 https://t.co/Uw4dch44WE
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) January 12, 2022
I don’t know if it will work out again, but historically, when Ben Roethlisberger is snarky and sarcastic about the #Steelers/his chances, he/they got something in their bag.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) January 12, 2022
Regardless of whether or not he really believes the Steelers have a shot against the Chiefs or not, behind closed doors, he is probably inspiring his team to give their best efforts, despite being large underdogs in the game (12.5-point underdogs, for the record).
Lean towards Roethlisberger trying to fire his team up as the most accurate reason that he would say this. The Steelers are truly playing with house money at this point. They were never supposed to be in the playoffs, to begin with, and they now have the opportunity to shock everyone against the reigning AFC champs on Sunday.
