Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey are nearing the ends of their respective careers, and it sounds like they know it.
In fact, they both already might have played their final game in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday fell to the Cleveland Browns in an AFC Wild Card loss, after which an emotional Roethlisberger neither confirmed nor denied retirement speculation. The following day, rumors of Pouncey, a nine-time Pro Bowl center, planning to retire made the rounds on the internet.
Consequently, this mic'd-up clip of the two players crying together after Sunday's game surely will make Steelers fans feel some sort of way:
If this indeed is the end for Roethlisberger-Pouncey tandem, it will go down as one of the more successful quarterback-center duos in NFL history. Roethlisberger has been named to five Pro Bowls since the Steelers drafted Pouncey in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
However, the two haven't won a Super Bowl together (Roethlisberger won two before Pouncey entered the league), which clearly played role in the emotion they displayed after a disappointing end to a once-promising season. The Steelers began the campaign with an 11-0 record but dropped five of their final six contests.
As for the Browns, they are preparing for their AFC Divisional Round matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions. Cleveland will enter the game as a significant underdog, but a case nevertheless can be made for the Browns finding their way to Tampa for a Super Bowl LV.
