Thank you very much for all the great birthday wishes! I had a super fun birthday yesterday! — Benjamin, Jr.

“That is why I wear 7. Because of him. A hero of mine growing up…Any time you go into a place that has had a legendary type of quarterback I grew up watching, it’s kind of special.” — Ben on John Elway & facing the Broncos in Denver on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Benjamin! We are so proud of the young boy that you have become. We can’t believe how fast “6” came, but we have enjoyed every moment! We love you buddy! – Dad, Mom, Bay & Bo.

Recap provided by 93.7 The Fan:

Ben Roethlisberger says his run into the end zone to clinch the game for the Steelers against Jacksonville on Sunday was the third option.

The Steelers QB says that Antonio Brown was the primary target.

“The play was designed first and foremost for AB in the flat, so it’s kind of a little roll out and he was covered and the second option is Vance (McDonald) on a little shovel. The (tight) end really kind of let me go and looked up the shovel, almost like they knew it was coming . . . so from there you don’t really have any other options except run it and there was kind of a little bit of a crease and I saw the end zone . . . so I said I’m just going to try and get there.”

Roethlisberger says he knew the football crossed the goal line but wasn’t sure about the rest of him.

“You’re never really sure about the back half of your body so I knew the ball was in, it was just a matter of everything else.”

While he isn’t sure of the stats, Roethlisberger believes he is running more than he has in previous seasons but the final run “was just heart and desire, wanting to get in.”

The Steelers offense started extremely slowly not being able to make much happen in the first half, not getting their first, first down until about the last 3 minutes of the half.

Roethlisberger says he doesn’t really have an answer for the slow start except that Jacksonville outplayed them early on.

“It’s hard when you don’t get into a rhythm, when you’re not getting first downs, when you’re not staying on the field. For one you put your defense in a tough situation because they’re getting tired and two you’re not able to get anything going and we just couldn’t get it going. Not really sure why, it was just one of those days they had our number early.”

Starting fast is something Roethlisberger says the Steelers want to do every game but more important than a fast start is a strong finish.

‘Bend but don’t break’ was the story of the Steelers defense on Sunday only allowing three field goals in the first half and Roethlisberger says he […]

First, and most importantly:

Prayers going out to Alex Smith, his family & his teammates! Wishing you a full & quick recovery! God bless! — Ben.

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

It’s true. It’s a fact.

It doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish.

And for the Steelers, they finished in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-16, for their sixth straight win.

The victory improves their record to 7-2-1, and 15-1-1 on the road in their last 17 games, keeping them on top of the AFC North.

“You just grow when you are faced with adversity like this in a hostile environment and you are not playing great and you find ways to get it done. From that standpoint really excited. We have some lessons to learn. You tip your cap to that group, particularly their defense. We got a big play and that got us back into it. I also tip the cap to our defense. They were put in some tough situations. They were out there a lot of snaps. They didn’t blink. They held the fort until our offense got going. Then with No. 7 you have a chance.” — Coach Tomlin.

The Jaguars dominated in the first half, but while the defense bent, they didn’t break.

Jacksonville had 169 yards of total offense in the half, including 141 yards on the ground. They controlled the clock, with 22:15 time of possession to the Steelers 7:45. But at halftime all they had were three field goals, a credit to the defense.

The Steelers offense managed just 66 yards in the half, with only 13 on the ground. Ben Roethlisberger completed just 8 of 19 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions and a 10.1 rating.

But in the end, it was the Steelers who would win the stats battle.

The Steelers fought back from a 16-0 deficit, scoring 20 unanswered points, to pull out the win.

Roethlisberger more than rebounded, finishing the day completing 27 of 47 pass attempts for 314 yards and two touchdown passes. Antonio Brown had five catches for 117 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown, while JuJu Smith-Schuster had eight receptions for 104 yards.

“I think I actually hurt the team more most of the game. It’s really how you finish. So many guys stepped up today. Guys never quit. We […]