The day was December 23, 2012. The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing host to the 8-6 Cincinnati Bengals, riding a two-game losing streak that set them at 7-7 and teetering on the brink of having not just a lost season, but a losing season.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had been playing through injuries for much of the year, including a major injury in a win in the ninth game of the season that knocked him out for a few games, during which his backups went 1-2. When he returned, he did not play like the same player, and a 6-3 start crumbled into an 8-8 finish.