|
PITTSBURGH (Ticker) --
Ben Roethlisberger
's road to the NFL came through the state of Ohio.
Roethlisberger looks to win his third straight start as the
Pittsburgh Steelers
' quarterback Sunday when the AFC North Division rival
Cleveland Browns
visit Heinz Field.
Roethlisberger attended Findlay High School (roughly 125 miles from Cleveland) and was the runner-up for 1999 Mr. Football honors in Ohio. He went on to star at Miami (Ohio), rewriting virtually every school record.
Selected 11th overall in April's draft, Roethlisberger became the Steelers starter when veteran
Tommy Maddox
suffered an elbow injury in a September 19 game against Baltimore.
So far, Roethlisberger has done the job. He is the first Steelers rookie to win his first two starts since Mike Kruczek replaced an injured Terry Bradshaw in 1976.
Roethlisberger faced an Ohio team for the first time as a professional last week and completed 17-of-25 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown in a 28-17 victory.
Duce Staley
carried the ground game, rushing for 125 yards on 23 attempts.
The Browns are coming off last week's 17-13 victory over the
Washington Redskins
.
Lee Suggs
returned after missing the first three games with a neck stinger and rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Cleveland is 2-0 at home, but has played poorly in losing its two road contests against Dallas and the
New York Giants
.
Jeff Garcia
has completed just 29-of-58 passes for 261 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions away from home.
The teams split two meetings last season, with each winning at home.
Matchup to watch: Steelers left guard
Alan Faneca
faces Browns right defensive tackle
Orpheus Roye
.
Series: Cleveland leads, 55-49.
Next week: Cleveland hosts Cincinnati, October 17 Pittsburgh visits Dallas, October 17
|
