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Big Ben was thankful for all the love.
Ben Roethlisberger recaps his emotions after the game and previews the game against the Ravens. (0:46)
The time is 12:38 PM.
Two days after his emotional victory Monday night, Ben Roethlisberger was starting to get back to normal.
"You don't until today, probably," the quarterback said. Tuesday was still very special. You get up and realize what's going on. It's Baltimore week. It makes it fun.
Roethlisberger said he was overwhelmed by the number of people who reached out to him as he prepares for his likely departure from the organization after 18 years.
It was real. He said that he and his family were thankful for all the fans, former teammates, and the many, many notes that were written on social media. It's hard to put it into words. I wish I could bottle it up and keep it. My kids are old enough to remember that night, and that's one of the most special things about it. It was something that I will remember forever, and I think they will too. I want to say thank you to everyone who made that night so special.
The win against the Browns was reminiscent of the hometown win of Jerome Bettis in the Super Bowl, hosted by Detroit.
Roethlisberger said it was "magic" what happened Monday night. I'm pretty sure he would tell you the same thing. It's the magic of how you can end things. We have another game, but it was against Cleveland, which is close to my hometown. We've played the team many times.
I am thankful for my teammates who put in a lot of effort. I was so proud of Najee Harris and the way he finished the game for us.
Roethlisberger hugged his kids and wife before walking off the field after receiving a long postgame applause.
"For them to know what's going on is pretty cool," Roethlisberger said. My youngest is 5 years old. I don't remember a lot from when I was 5, but there are probably one or two things that all of us can remember from when we were young. I hope this is one of the things. My daughter and oldest one will. For them to understand what Dad did and to go fight and compete and win and give everything I have, I hope it's something they understand and will be passed on to them as well.
Before he walked through the tunnel with his family, Roethlisberger circled part of the field, high-fiving fans and soaking in the electric atmosphere created by fans for his farewell.
Roethlisberger will not be saying goodbye to the crowd at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium after his final regular-season game.
He said that unless Suggs wants to go with him.
If the Steelers can beat the Ravens, they still have a chance to make the playoffs. Six players were activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, including offensive tackle Zach Banner, linebacker Chris Wormley, defensive back Arthur Maulet, running back Anthony McFarland Jr., and linebacker Joe Schobert.
Joe Haden was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and his status is uncertain for Sunday's game.
The key to avoiding the emotional aftermath of Monday's win is to continue celebrating Roethlisberger.
"After last game, it's just got to be another farewell tour for Ben," he said. We have to keep playing. I don't think there will be a lot of physical demands during the week, but we have to be our best on Sunday.
Roethlisberger's likely final NFL game will be in the same place where he got his first start in 2004, when he replaced an injured Tommy Maddox. Roethlisberger's only regular-season loss as a rookies was that Week 2 game. He completed 12 of 20 attempts for 176 yards with two touchdown.
He said that the first game he played in the NFL was there. Ed Reed and [Haloti] Ngata were there. It wasn't fun to play those guys because you could go down a lot of them. It's going to be pretty cool, I think it's a lot of respect.
