Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger struggled through last year’s loss to the 49ers on an injured ankle, and looking back on that game he thinks the 49ers gave him a little something extra because of his injury. But Roethlisberger’s belief may not hold up to close scrutiny.
Roethlisberger was asked on the Dan Patrick Show when was the last time he thought an opposing team was targeting him, and he answered that he thought the 49ers seemed like they were going after him when he played there last year.
“I think when we played San Fran, I felt like there were some things going on, some extra,” Roethlisberger said. “I did have the ankle and I was playing, so maybe there was kind of a bullseye on there anyway.”
However, Mike Sando of ESPN.com went back and watched every Steelers offensive play from that game, and he saw no evidence of the 49ers targeting Roethlisberger’s lower body, rolling onto his ankle, stepping on his foot or doing any of the other things that a defense might do when targeting a quarterback.
Roethlisberger struggled in that game, throwing three interceptions in a 20-3 loss. But there’s little reason to believe the 49ers did anything out of the ordinary to get to him.