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Ben Roethlisberger on the Pittsburgh fanbase in Heinz Field finale: 'This is home'

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle•01/04/22•

NikkiChavanelle

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Ben Roethlisberger left Heinz Field a winner on Monday night in what could have been his final home game with the Steelers. The NFL veteran discussed what player in Pittsburgh has meant to him after the game.

“This is home,” Roethlisberger said. “I was born in Ohio but I live here and I’ll always be here. These fans, and this place, mean so much to me and my family and always will. I’ve always said that they’re the best fans in all of sports, and I’ll stick by that until the day I die. To see all the signs and the jerseys and the towels and to hear them cheer for me coming out of the towel, I don’t know that I’ll ever put it into words.”

Roethlisberger and the Steelers took down Cleveland with a 26-14 victory on Monday night to move to 8-7-1 on the year. During his long career in Pittsburgh, Big Ben went 92-32 at home. It’s the fourth-most home wins with any team in NFL history.

If Roethlisberger does retire at the end of the 2021 regular season, fans will remember him as a two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler. He has amassed 8,399 passing yards, 417 touchdowns and an overall career completion percentage of 64.6%.

Juju Smith-Shuster sends message to Ben Roethlisberger

Before kickoff on Monday, Steelers wideout Juju Smith-Schuster penned a letter to his quarterback. He thanked him for the help throughout his career.

“If tonight is the last ride at home, I have to say thank you to one of the best QBs in NFL History for welcoming me into this league, helping me grow, and being there for me in every step of my career,” Smith-Schuster said via Twitter on Monday. “It’s been an honor to catch passes and take the field with you. Thank you, 7!”

Smith-Schuster has been in the NFL for five seasons, with Roethlisberger throwing him balls for a majority of them. He has 323 catches throughout his career for 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.