Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is one of the great comeback players in the history of the NFL. Considering his numbers, you might even argue he is one of the great comeback players in professional sports history.
Although the play of his own unit also contributed to the opportunities, Roethlisberger retired among the elites. Even today, he ranks third all-time in both fourth-quarter comebacks and in game-winning drives. He has 41 career fourth-quarter comebacks and 53 game-winning drives, in the company of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
But did you know that Roethlisberger had to work harder than anybody to reach those numbers? According to Scott Kacsmar, he has the most “multiple game-winning drives” in NFL history. He refers to games in which Roethlisberger led the offense to multiple go-ahead scores in the fourth quarter or overtime, meaning the opposing team at least tied the game in between.
And Roethlisberger did that 12 times, one more than Drew Brees and Eli Manning. Warren Moon and Tom Brady both did it nine times, though Kacsmar’s point was that Patrick Mahomes already has seven.
Roethlisberger actually ended his career with his 12th “multiple game-winning drives” game. In the finale of the 2021 season, he connected with WR Chase Claypool for a six-yard go-ahead score. The Steelers took a three-point lead with that, but the Ravens tied with a field goal. Then he ended the game in overtime with a 15-play, 65-yard drive, culminating in a 36-yard field goal to win.
Now, don’t get me wrong—this is not a “real” stat or anything like that. But it speaks to Roethlisberger’s competitive drive with which he played, overcoming the deflation of losing a go-ahead score just to do it all over again.
Amusingly, Roethlisberger said after another game-winning drive that season, his 50th, that he hates the stress of it. That may be so, but he certainly thrived under pressure and often played his best football under those circumstances.
One of the most famous game-winning drives in NFL history also came from Ben Roethlisberger’s arm. His touchdown pass to WR Santonio Holmes in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIII routinely ranks as one of the greatest plays the game has ever seen.
But fortunately for him, the defense closed that one out. OLB LaMarr Woodley put an exclamation point on a stellar postseason run with one more sack of Kurt Warner. He forced a fumble, which Brett Keisel recovered, ending the game and preventing Roethlisberger from needing to win it again.
