Follow the Pittsburgh Steelers long enough, and you get a feel for the trends which follow the team, and the players, on a yearly basis. For instance, it has become commonplace for the team to lose a game, or two, against sub-par opponents every season. These trends, although frustrating, almost always come to fruition.
The same can be said about Ben Roethlisberger. He has had his share of duds in his time as the quarterback of the Steelers, but he always seems to bounce back the following week. Well, Roethlisberger’s Week 5 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars would certainly fall into the ‘dud’ category, but what does history show will happen for Roethlisberger in Week 6 when he goes against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium?
Let’s take a look...
I went back and looked at Roethlisberger’s stats since 2014 following a game where he has thrown 2 or more interceptions. Look at the results:
2014
20-13 L at NYJ
Following performance: 1 TD, 1 INT (W)
35-32 L vs. NO
Following performance: 3 TD, 0 INT (W)
2015
16-10 L vs. CIN
Following performance: 2 TD, 1 INT (W)
39-30 L at SEA
Following performance: 4 TD, 0 INT (W)
34-27 W vs. DEN
Following performance: 0 TD, 2 INT (L)
20-17 L at BAL
Following performance: 3 TD, 2 INT (W)
2016
24-16 W vs. CIN
Following performance: 0 TD, 1 INT (L)
30-15 L at MIA
Following performance: 1 TD, 1 INT (L)
27-20 W at BUF
Following performance: 1 TD, 0 INT (W)
...
When you look at these statistics, a couple things stand out. When Roethlisberger threw 2 or more interceptions in a loss, he has only lost his next outing one time, and that was in 2016 coming off his knee injury. However, when he throws two or more interceptions in a win, he has only won the next game once.
Overall, in games following a two or more interception outing, Roethlisberger and the Steelers are 6-3 in their next game, with Roethlisberger throwing 15 TDs to 8 INTs in those follow-up games.
...
I wanted to know more about the team’s resiliency after a game like they experienced in Week 5 against the Jaguars. So, I looked up how the team responded to a loss of more than 14-points the following week since 2014.
Here is what I found:
2014
26-6 L at BAL
Following Week: 37-19 W at CAR
31-10 L at CLE
Following Week: 30-23 W vs. HOU
2015
Never lost a game by more than 14-points
2016
34-3 L at PHI
Following Week: 43-14 W vs. KC
30-15 L at MIA
Following Week: 27-16 L vs. NE (Landry Jones at QB)
...
In these games, the Steelers are 3-1 since 2014.
So, what does all this tell us? It tells us you can expect a very spirited performance from the franchise quarterback to the rest of the team. Does it guarantee a win? No, but under Mike Tomlin, since 2014, the Steelers are a team who usually respond following a loss, and that starts with their quarterback.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest on the black-and-gold leading up to Week 6.