Seth Udinski, FISM News
As the Pittsburgh Steelers get ready to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC wildcard playoffs on Sunday, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger turned heads with comments that some sportswriters believe to be self-deprecating.
On Wednesday, the Steelers’ 18-year veteran QB said in an interview that his team is an obvious underdog against the two-time defending AFC champion Chiefs, and as such, they should just go out and have some fun in Sunday’s playoff game.
The Steelers, who squeaked into the playoffs as the seventh and final seed, will have to brave the elements at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium as they face a powerful Kansas City team that tied the Tennessee Titans for the best record in the conference.
Roethlisberger said,
We’re probably 20-point underdogs, and we’re going to the No. 1 seed, the No. 1 team – I know they’re not the No. 1 seed, obviously, but they’re the No. 1 team that has won the AFC the last two years, arguably the best team in football…We don’t have a chance, so let’s just go play and have fun.
Although some will take Big Ben’s comments literally, it seems the veteran is saying this simply to take the pressure off his team and put it on the Chiefs. For the Steelers’ longtime veteran QB, it will indeed be fun for him to get one more crack at a Super Bowl in what will likely be his final season, and in a year in which many had written off the Steelers.
The Steelers and Chiefs will clash on Sunday night in the 8:15 prime time slot on NBC. The winner will move on to the divisional round. If Kansas City wins, they will host the team with the best record who advances. If Pittsburgh wins, they will travel to Tennessee to take on the top-seeded Titans.