Ben Roethlisberger’s return to Steelers keeps AFC hurdles in place

The race for the AFC Championship could be much easier if Ben Roethlisberger would retire, but the Steelers quarterback is “leaning toward” returning for another year.

As long as the New England Patriots have Tom Brady and the Pittsburgh Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger, the AFC will maintain its perennial favorites. As good as the Kansas City Chiefs were last season, they failed to get past the Steelers in the playoffs, and the Patriots were even better than that. Until the quarterbacks retire, the AFC will remain in their hands until proven otherwise.

The Steelers were potentially facing a future without Big Ben immediately after the Super Bowl, when the starting quarterback intimated that he was considering retirement. The Steelers have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball without Roethlisberger, of course, but having to face Landry Jones versus Big Ben is a swap any defense will take. Unfortunately for everyone else, K.C. included, the Steelers are likely to have Roethlisberger back at the helm after he announced he’s “leaning toward” coming back for another year.

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For a team like the Chiefs, it’s hard to see how they will be able to surmount the two primary teams in front of them in the AFC. Last season, they were able to best every contender in the AFC West, going undefeated in the toughest conference in football. But the Oakland Raiders are getting better every year, and if the Denver Broncos or Houston Texans can add some real competition at quarterback, both of those teams are also formidable.

The same can be said of the resurgent teams in the AFC South besides the Texans. The Colts have some serious work to do on both lines, but having Andrew Luck and the wideouts in place will always keep them competitive, and Chris Ballard is already doing good things. The Tennessee Titans are on the verge and Marcus Mariota could be ready to turn the corner. This, of course, doesn’t include the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins who should both have real playoff expectations in 2017.

Yet for all of the competition for the other playoff spots, Big Ben showed why Pittsburgh should be considered the best team in the AFC outside of New England until they are beaten. Together with Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, the offense seems unstoppable at times, and young, aggressive players on defense are looking like the Steelers teams of old—even without Dick LeBeau on the sidelines. Another strong draft class and further development will only make them that much tougher.

If Big Ben would retire, the Steelers would be respectable but not feared and that makes a big difference. For now, however, the Chiefs and other playoff hopefuls will gear up once again to face the same hurdles they’ve faced for the last 13 or so years.