Ben Roethlisberger rips NFL for Steelers' rough end-of-season schedule

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the NFL's most popular franchises and are a team trying to win the Super Bowl. Their reward for having the history that they do and for being the team that they are right now is the ability to play on Christmas Day.

On one hand, it's very cool to be able to play on Christmas against a team like the Kansas City Chiefs with the entire country watching. On the other hand, playing on Christmas when it falls on a Wednesday creates an incredibly brutal schedule at the worst possible time.

The Steelers took a tough loss in Philadelphia in Week 15, and followed that up less than one week later by losing a head-fought game against the Baltimore Ravens. That loss in Baltimore cost Pittsburgh a chance at winning the AFC North. Now, just four days after the Baltimore loss, the Steelers have to try and knock off the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

The Steelers are preparing to play their third game in an 11-day span - an unheard-of schedule for an NFL team. Normally, NFL teams play games once every seven days with exceptions for the occasional prime-time matchup on a Monday or Thursday. Three games in 11 days is really tough to come to terms with.

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn't shy about pointing out his displeasure with Pittsburgh's schedule, pointing out why he believes that the NFL has the schedule laid out this way as well on the Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast.

"It's miserable. It's a shame that the league does this. It just shows that it's all about money and this is a way that they can, you know, make more money and figure this thing out because it's not fair for the players. You wanna talk about injuries and making the game safer, changing the kickoff rule and preventing guys on hip-drop tackles, and concussions, and this that and the other, and you're going to make guys play the most violent game in the world, arguably, three games in 11 days. I mean, there's no time for your body to get healthy and rest."

Ben Roethlisberger echos Patrick Mahomes' displeasure with NFL schedule

Roethlisberger makes it abundantly clear that he believes that this is all about the money. On that front, he's absolutely right. The NFL sees an opportunity for fans to watch on Christmas Day while they're home with their families, and again, the Steelers are a team that's going to draw tons of eyeballs.

While it makes financial sense, Roethlisberger is also right in the sense that playing three games in 11 days is brutal for the players. Football is a violent sport, and players can get hurt. I mean, the teams playing in the game Roethlisberger is so upset about are both banged up.

The Steelers are trying to win the AFC North, and playing three times in 11 days won't help them play their best football. If players suffer injuries during that 11-day stretch, that could impact what the team does in the playoffs as well.

Roethlisberger's concerns are very real, and were echoed not too long ago by Patrick Mahomes, who also has to endure this same brutal stretch of three games in 11 days.

You can understand the financial ramifications that come from making a decision like this, but also, it's really tough for the NFL to say it cares a ton about player safety when they're making players suit up three times in 11 days.

A clear solution here would've been to find a way to give the teams that the NFL wants to see on Christmas a bye within this 11-day period to avoid what could be detrimental injuries. Hopefully, that's something that can be implemented in the future to avoid brutal end-of-season schedules like this.