did not formally retire following the Steelers' 42-21 lo s to the Chiefs in Sunday night's AFC wild card round. But the 18-year veteran all but confirmed that he has played his final down as Pittsburgh's quarterback.A somber Roethlisberger Kyle Korver Jersey spoke openly about his career shortly after completing his 272nd NFL game and 23rd playoff game. Roethlisberger threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in what was likely the final game of his sure-fire Hall of Fame career."It's tough, but I'm proud to play with these guys," Roethlisberger said of the 2021 Steelers, who had to win their last two games just to make the playoffs as the seventh seed. "God has ble sed me with the ability to throw a football and has ble sed me to play in the greatest city, in Pittsburgh, with the greatest fans and the greatest football team and players. It has just truly been a ble sing. I'm so thankful to him for giving me this opportunity."Roethlisberger said that he was meant to play for the Steelers after 10 other teams -- most notably the AFC North rival Cleveland Browns -- pa sed on him in the 2004 NFL Draft. He fought back emotion while mentioning late Steelers president/owner Dan Rooney, who made sure the Steelers didn't pa s on Roethlisberger when he was available in the '04 draft. "I'm just so thankful. I hope that I've been able to pa s the legacy of what it is to be a Steeler. From Dan Rooney. We all mi s him. Anyone that knew him mi ses him. Hopefully I can pa s some of that on to some of the guys and the tradition of what it means to be a Steeler can be pa sed down. ... We've got some guys in there that will continue to do that. Gave Cam Heyward a big hug and told him it's on him now. It's his job to pa s it down and to keep teaching and holding guys to the Pittsburgh standard."Roethlisberger's impending retirement comes as no surprise. Reports surfaced prior to Pittsburgh's Week 13 win over Baltimore Jordan Nwora Jersey that Roethlisberger had begun telling former coaches and teammates that he planned to retire at the end of the season. Roethlisberger acknowledged that Pittsburgh's Week 17 win over Cleveland was likely going to be his final home game. Any remaining questions that this was Roethlisberger's final season were extinguished when Roethlisberger left Heinz Field in Week 17 with the words "Thank You Ben" posted on the Jumbotron.Pittsburgh's rocky finish to the 2020 season was one of the reasons why Roethlisberger decided to come back for one last season. Few could have seen Roethlisberger's 2021 season ending on a much better note after the ' 1-3 start. The Steelers were able to right the ship with a four-game winning streak that included a comeback win in Cleveland in Week 8. A blowout lo s against the in Week 16 set the stage for a dramatic end to Roethlisberger's regular-season career. Needing two wins -- and outside help -- to make the playoffs, the Steelers defeated the in Roethlisberger's last home game. In Baltimore the following week, the Steelers won in overtime following Roethlisberger's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey seventh game-winning drive of the season, an NFL best. Pittsburgh later clinched its 12th playoff berth with Roethlisberger at quarterback following the ' overtime win over the .The last-remaining quarterback from the fabled 2004 draft cla s, Roethlisberger threw for 3,740 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions (while completing 64.5% of his pa ses) in his final regular season. He enjoyed a succe sful partnership with receiver (1,161 yards and eight touchdowns) and rookie tight end (seven touchdowns on 60 receptions). Roethlisberger was aided by rookie running back , who broke 's and Franco Harris' rookie franchise records.Roethlisberger's 249 regular-season games are the most of any player in Steelers history. He went 165-81-1 in the regular season while compiling the fifth-most regular-season wins in league history. Roethlisberger is fifth all time with 64,088 pa sing yards and eighth with 418 touchdown pa ses. Against the Chiefs, Roethlisberger moved past Joe Montana Oscar Robertson Jersey and Brett Favre for third all time in postseason pa sing yards. . finds for a TD: Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) Roethlisberger has always said that wins are the only statistic that mattered to him. He is just one of 11 starting quarterbacks in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls. The youngest starting quarterback in history to win the Super Bowl, Roethlisberger also holds the record for the most wins by a rookie quarterbacks (13). In winning Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger and the Steelers became the first team to win three road games en route to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.Along with his game-saving tackle in Pittsburgh's 2005 playoff win over the , Roethlisberger's most enduring NFL moment came in Super Bowl XLIII. Trailing late in the game, Roethlisberger led a game-winning drive that was punctuated by his touchdown pa s to , as Pittsburgh became the first franchise to win six Super Bowls.During his 18 seasons, only , , and won as many or more Super Bowls as a starting quarterback. Brady and Peyton Manning were the only other quarterbacks to make at least three Super Bowl starts. While the 2021 season did not end with another Super Bowl run, Roethlisberger expre sed gratitude for what he and his teammates were able to accomplish this season."Just a bunch of guys that fought for each other, that fought their butts off and just competed," he said of the '21 Steelers. "Wasn't always pretty, but there were a lot of games that we found a way. Just like tonight Junior Bridgeman Jersey , fought to the end. I'm so proud of this group of men and the way they fight for each other, for the black and gold, for our fans. It's just been an honor to play with them."