Denzel Ward wants to play spoiler in Ben Roethlisberger’s final home game

The Cleveland Browns want to play spoiler in Ben Roethlisberger’s final home game. Denzel Ward could provide a vital blow.

Ward will be going up directly against Roethlisberger in some capacity, likely following Diontae Johnson, the Steelers best wide receiver.

While Roethlisberger hasn’t directly told the media or anyone outside the organization, it has largely been assumed this is his final game at Heinz Field as a player. Big Ben has taken a significant step back this season, and while he can still at times look like his old self, the majority of the time he lacks the mobility and arm strength necessary in today’s NFL.

It’s unclear if the game has passed Roethlisberger by, or if the elbow injury which ended his 2019 season is finally getting the best of him. Either way, it’s almost time to hang up the cleats.

Can Ben Roethlisberger end Steelers career with two more wins?

Roethlisberger has largely owned the Browns throughout his career. The Ohio native has a 25-3-1 career record against Cleveland.

Still, things are slowly turning in the Browns’ favor in one regard — recent playoff success. Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round last year, ending Roethlisberger’s season in the process. The game wasn’t particularly close, ending with a 48-37 scoreline. Cleveland scored the first 28 points of the game.

This time around, Ward is hoping for similar success.

“Yeah, my first rookie game, I remember going against (former Steelers WR) Antonio Brown and getting two interceptions on Ben, so that definitely would be nice to repeat that this next game,” Ward said Tuesday, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “But the main focus is going in, doing our job and trying to get a win.”

Ward reminisced about his past matchups with Roethlisberger, and how he was usually on the losing side of matters. The longtime Browns fan turned Cleveland cornerback hopes the result is quite different on Monday night.