The NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers threw the biggest retirement party on the primetime stage I can ever recall, at least since former Steelers great Jerome Bettis rode off into the sunset carrying the Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football might not have quite lived up to Bettis' storybook ending, but Ben Roethlisberger's fare thee well sendoff in presumably his final performance at Heinz Field was truly special nonetheless. Unforgettable actually, and in the end memories are even sweeter and more previous.
On a night that was more about Steelers Nation celebrating and honoring the HOF career of the greatest QB in franchise history than trying to keep this season's slim playoff chances alive, there was the unmistakable energy of desperation and determination in the air.