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SHAWN RINE Staff Writer

WHEELING — People often ask me why I put so much trust in Ben Roethlisberger. Why, when I could choose any other quarterback in the NFL, my pick is always Big Ben.

Sunday is Exhibit A. Is Roethlisberger the best QB of his generation? Perhaps, but it all comes down to how you want to measure it.

Let’s take Sunday’s come-from-behind victory against the Jaguars, for instance. Admittedly Roethlisberger stunk up the joint for the first three quarters. But in that fourth quarter when the chips are down? It was vintage Big Ben, accounting for three touchdowns in a 20-16 victory.

Now let me ask you this. How many quarterbacks out there — Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees or whomever else — would have kept firing it? How many coaching staffs in the National Football League would have said ‘this isn’t our day and we’re just going to turn and hand the ball off to our backs, get out of here and live to play another day?

Instead, Mike Tomlin placed his team’s fate and his unwavering trust in No. 7 and he delivered the 41st game-winning drive of his career, which broke a tie with Hall of Famer John Elway.

The thing is, the Steelers don’t have the luxury of throw-away games. They’re in a dogfight with the likes of Kansas City and New England for the top seed in the AFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. One slip up makes a huge difference, especially with a closing schedule that includes the Chargers as well as the Patriots and Saints on back-to-back weeks.

That sounds like a daunting closing stretch, but it’s like I always say: As long as No. 7 is on the field, Pittsburgh has a chance.

Now let’s get to the picks, where I struggled to barely finish above .500 last week. But that record for the season is sparkling, my haters.

Thanksgiving

Chicago 30, Detroit, 24

These Bears are coming on and might be for real, folks. I continue to like what I see out of Chicago but going to Detroit on Thanksgiving is no easy task. The Lions haven’t been particularly good but aren’t awful, either, which is typical of a team that is likely going to finish right around .500.

Dallas 21, Washington 17

You never like to see anyone get injured, so the gruesome broken leg Alex Smith suffered last Sunday was hard to watch on a number of levels. I even heard it compared to the one former Redskins QB Joe Theismann endured many years ago. So now Washington forges ahead with Colt McCoy and the recently signed Mark Sanchez. This may have just opened the door for the Cowboys to somehow win a division title.

New Orleans 37, Atlanta 12

I really don’t think anybody wants to play the Saints right now. They’re a well-oiled machine putting up fantasy football numbers. Did you see them just put a 48-7 on the defending champions? That was one week after hanging 50-plus on the scoreboard. The Falcons are coming off a loss to the low-scoring Cowboys, so this doesn’t appear to be in their favor.

Sunday

Carolina 25, Seattle 23

The Steelers unearthed some problems for the Panthers and they continued to slide again last week. It’s gong to be interesting to see if they can find a way to dig themselves out and get back to their winning ways. The Seahawks may not show it in terms of their record, but this is a sneaky good team that could give just about anyone some problems.

New England 28, N.Y. Jets 16

The Patriots took a week off after their disaster in Nashville. It may have exposed more issues than New England is capable of fixing this time. The same holds true of Tom Brady as it always has, which is to say that he is a completely different QB if you’re able to get pressure on him. He will start bailing out early, throwing the ball side-arm and generally looking afraid in the pocket. With a matchup in Pittsburgh looming, the Pats cannot slip up.

Jacksonville 9, Buffalo 6

Kudos to Jalen Ramsey and the Jaguars defense for finally backing up all of their bravado. However, when it was crunch time there was a certain No. 20 that was trailing receivers in big-time situations. The bottom line is, Jacksonville will not win anything as long as its wagon is hooked to Blake Bortles. It was clear the coaching staff had no confidence in allowing Bortles to go down the field and put a dagger in the Steelers, which is why they ultimately lost.

Tampa Bay 31, San Francisco 8

It’s been a while, sure, but it’s still difficult for us who remember how dominant Tampa’s defense used to be when watching the current unit give up huge chunk plays and mega points to average teams. The 49ers would certainly fit into that category, but maybe the Bucs come up with a vintage performance for old time’s sake.

Baltimore 16, Oakland 13

It’s easy to laugh at how bad the Raiders are this season. But don’t let it take your focus off how big a joke the Ravens have become. They just won a NFL game by having their quarterback run the ball more times than he threw it. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s gimmick football and will never work over the course of a 16-game season. But who knows what Baltimore will actually do next season, considering everyone there is going to be replaced.

Philadelphia 47, N.Y. Giants 46

Speaking of jokes, this one usually has some meaning. Not this year as both squads are utterly terrible. Carson Wentz to the Hall of Fame? We should probably hold off on that one just a little bit. It’s why I always caution people about making too big a deal out of young quarterbacks. The second and even third time around the league is often far more difficult.

Cleveland 20, Cincinnati 17

The other side of the Ravens joke is the Bengals, who were beaten in that game where the QB ran it more than he threw it. Seriously, it’s hard to imagine anybody letting Lamar Jackson beat them, but Cincinnati sure did. How about this? Hue Jackson lost his job in Cleveland and now will lose to the Browns while a member of the opposite coaching staff.

L.A. Chargers 29, Arizona 3

Heading into last week the Chargers were 7-2 and not a soul was paying attention to them. You know why? Because they did what they always do. Almost every year I hear people saying how this is their year, yet somehow it never is. L.A. dropped one to the Broncos last week — the same week they could have made up ground with a Chiefs loss!

Pittsburgh 30, Denver 16

Things are lining up perfectly, it seems, for the Steelers. Which is exactly why this game should scare the daylights out of you. The Broncos aren’t a very good football team, but their home field presents a disadvantage that no other does in the league. It’s going to be tough, but expect Pittsburgh to come out and rely heavily in the ground game which because of the altitude, is likely to feature more than just James Conner.

Indianapolis 35, Miami 17

At the beginning of the year I picked the Colts to capture the AFC South division. While its not on top it’s right in the thick of things. The Colts have Andrew Luck and Andrew Luck alone to thank for that, which for my money is why he should be in the MVP race. The Dolphins don’t have anyone who even belongs in the vicinity of that conversation.

Minnesota 36, Green Bay 34

Can you say elimination game? The Bears are threatening to run away with the NFC North and nobody seems willing to put up a fight. The loser of this game is basically looking at trying to improve its draft stock down the road.

Monday

Houston 27, Tennessee 16

This is a huge game in terms of the AFC South. A Texans victory would all but wrap it up barring a collapse, while if the Titans win the thing is wide open. I just don’t think Tennessee has enough horses as currently constructed.

Shawn Rine can be reached via email at: srine@theintelligencer.net

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