Ben Roethlisberger went to college in Ohio, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has spent the better part of his career dashing hopes and killing dreams in Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Kinkhabwala: Real Steel
It's been a quiet start to the season in Pittsburgh, but Aditi Kinkhabwala says we're about to see the real Steelers. **More ...**
With that said, The City of Brotherly Love might rank a notch higher on Big Ben's hit list. He told NFL.com and NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala this week that he learned "a general hatred" of Philadelphia early in his career. That's all Steelers fans want to hear in the hours leading up to Sunday's Pennsylvania-themed grudge match with the Eagles.
Pittsburgh's running game has been a ghost ship through three games, meaning the Steelers have leaned hard on Big Ben. He'll be tested against the Eagles' defense, which has held opposing passers to a 65.6 passer rating this season. ProFootballFocus.com rates the Eagles' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as the second-best cover corner in the league through Week 4. Signal-callers are completing just 44 percent of their passes against Rodgers-Cromartie, Nnamadi Asomugha and rookie nickel back Brandon Boykin.
Across the field, Mike Wallace has pulled in 13 of his 17 targets over the middle and killed teams on the slant route. Antonio Brown is a hazard for defenses on the outside, and neither Steelers wideout has dropped a pass all season, making this chapter of the Battle for Pennsylvania one of Sunday's more intriguing matchups.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
