Another game, another 4th-quarter comeback for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger

At the end of the first half Sunday in Dallas, Ben Roethlisberger was in the locker room, powerless to help his team.

At the end of the second half, Roethlisberger once again was a winner — one who had surpassed another Hall of Famer in an unofficial, but telling category.

For the second consecutive game, Roethlisberger was at his best in the second half and engineered a come-from-behind win on the road. His efforts in leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 24-19 victory against the Dallas Cowboys represented the 34^th fourth-quarter comeback of his 17-year NFL career.

According to pro-football-reference.com, that moves Roethlisberger into a tie with Johnny Unitas for the fourth-most fourth-quarter comebacks led by a quarterback in NFL history.

“I just don’t want to let my guys down,” Roethlisberger said. “So many times, the (offensive linemen) and (other) guys are looking at me on the sideline, they are like, ‘All right Ben, we believe in you.’

“I just don’t want to let them down, so I want to give everything I have and fight.”

Roethlisberger began the season with 31 career fourth-quarter comebacks, tied with his childhood idol John Elway for seventh in NFL history. He entered Sunday’s game tied with Dan Marino for fifth.

Roethlisberger also had three postseason fourth-quarter comebacks — most famously, during Super Bowl XLII — among his 165 wins as a starter (152 in the regular season).

“Listen, I wish we didn’t have to have fourth-quarter comebacks,” Roethlisberger said, “(because) I wish played better early in the games so we were up and didn’t have to do it.”

The Steelers were shut out over the first 28 minutes, 50 seconds against the Cowboys (2-7). Roethlisberger had 53 passing yards after his first 10 attempts as Dallas had taken a 13-0 lead.

Worse, as the Steelers were driving to score their first points, Roethlisberger suffered a knee injury after Neville Gallimore hit him after releasing a pass. Roethlisberger was sandwiched between Gallimore and DeMarcus Lawrence.

“Hit me right on the knee,” Roethlisberger said. “Felt like I kind of bent my knee a little bit. … Just had some discomfort.”

Roethlisberger finished the drive, wincing in pain and favoring his left leg. After the Steelers’ failed conversion kick that followed Roethlisberger’s 17-yard touchdown pass to James Washington with 1:10 left in the first half, the quarterback headed to the locker room.

“‘Doc (team physician Dr. James Bradley) just wanted me to keep him updated in the second half,” Roethlisberger said. “So, just keeping it loose, keeping it warm.”

But retreating to the locker room backfired because the offense unexpectedly got the ball after a Dallas turnover. Backup Mason Rudolph guided the Steelers for four snaps that moved them 3 yards to allow for a Chris Boswell field goal.

“We allowed Mason to finish the half and leave (Roethlisberger) inside getting evaluated where he was,” Tomlin said. “There were no issues with his (second-half) availability.”

Good thing for the Steelers.

After the Cowboys took a 19-9 lead with 2:18 left in the third quarter, Roethlisberger was 14 for 21 for 193 yards and two touchdowns the rest of the way.

Seven days earlier in Baltimore, Roethlisberger led an 80-yard drive after the Ravens had taken a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter, going 6 for 7 on that drive as the Steelers beat their AFC North rival.

“It’s something,” receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said of Roethlisberger’s guidance during late-game comebacks, “that he’s been doing for a while now.

Try 16 years. Roethlisberger’s first fourth-quarter comeback on the road also was in Dallas — as a rookie on Oct. 17, 2004 when the Steelers overcame a 20-10 deficit for a 24-20 win.

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