Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is not high on the trajectory of the Baltimore Ravens. Despite being the Super Bowl favorites at the beginning of last season, the Ravens finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
Roethlisberger believes the Super Bowl window for the Ravens has closed:
“I think they’re falling apart. I really don’t think they’re the same team. These feel different. I feel like the window closed,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast.
This is not the first time that Roethlisberger has expressed skepticism of the Ravens.
“I would’ve said Baltimore with Lamar Jackson and that, but I think their window is closing. Obviously, Cleveland isn’t in the conversation. Cincinnati, I like what Joe [Burrow] does and their offense is really good, but they don’t care about their defense or anything there,” Roethlisberger said on the Deebo & Joe podcast in April. “I would say Pittsburgh [would win the division].”
Former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith caught wind of Roethlisberger’s statement and did not hold back.
“Ben is just making s— up,” Smith wrote on X. “Ain’t no way he truly believes Pittsburgh is ahead of Baltimore or Cincy.”
“Won the division thanks to a horrible (and confirmed) no int and missed Isaiah Likely TD. The Ravens had an injury report that looked like a CVS receipt. They were just ok,” Smith wrote.
Smith was referring to the Steelers’ Week 14 win over the Ravens. The Steelers also caught a break in the Week 18 win when Tyler Loop missed a game-deciding 44-yard field goal. Pittsburgh won the division due to the missed kick.
The Ravens’ defense was horrendous last year, which is abnormal for a franchise like Baltimore. The Ravens ranked 24th in total yards allowed (354.5 per game) and 18th in points allowed (23.4 per game) last season. Baltimore also had only 30 sacks, which was tied for the third-fewest in the NFL.
New Ravens head coach Jesse Minter did wonders as the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator. The Ravens also hired former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver as their new DC. Weaver was a finalist for the Steelers head coach position.
It’s a new era in Baltimore with John Harbaugh no longer the team’s head coach. The Ravens massively failed to live up to the expectations. The addition of Minter and Weaver could get the Ravens back on track in 2026, however.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Big Ben Thinks One AFC Team Is Falling Apart
