By By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH — Maybe it’s premature to begin comparing Ben Roethlisberger to John Elway, even if the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback wears No. 7 in honor of the former Denver Broncos star.
When it comes to comebacks, Big Ben is becoming something of a current-day version of Elway, who led 47 fourth-quarter comebacks that either won or tied a game for his team.
In five NFL seasons, Roethlisberger has led 18 such rallies — five this season, two against Baltimore.
That could be one of the hidden factors in the Steelers’ favor as they prepare to play the Ravens in the AFC championship game Sunday at Heinz Field. Comebacks are difficult to mount against defenses as good as the No. 2-ranked Ravens, yet Roethlisberger went 2-of-2 against them this season.
Mental advantage, Pittsburgh?
‘‘Being in tight games and being in those situations where you needed those game-winning drives to win those games has made us stronger and given us confidence when it comes down to the fourth quarter.’’
While going 12-4 during the season, the Steelers rallied from 10 down to beat Baltimore 23-20 in overtime; 10 down in the fourth quarter to beat Dallas 20-13; six down in the fourth to beat Baltimore 13-9; two down in the fourth to beat San Diego 11-10 and seven down to beat Jacksonville 26-21.
Roethlisberger first displayed the ability to win games when his team was down as a rookie in 2004, when the Steelers won six times while trailing or tied in the fourth quarter.
It comes from a quarterback, too, especially one who makes his teammates believe he is capable of getting them out of any jam.
Of those 18 Roethlisberger-led rallies, three are against the Ravens. He nearly pulled another one off in the playoffs last season, bringing the Steelers back from a 28-10 deficit against Jacksonville to give them a 29-28 lead, but they ended up losing 31-29.
What the Steelers probably don’t want to attempt to do in this all-AFC North conference championship game is stage yet another rally against the Ravens. Beating a team three times in a season is difficult enough, rallying to do so is even tougher.
Still, the Steelers came back three times to win during a five-game winning streak from mid-November to mid-December.
All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu returned to practice Thursday after injuring a calf during the 35-24 divisional victory Sunday over San Diego. Polamalu was hurt during pregame warmups but played.
Center Justin Hartwig (knee) was limited in practice, though he expects to take part in the final full-scale practice Friday.
The Steelers probably will be tempted to stay inside for practice Friday, even though coach Mike Tomlin likes to go outdoors when the game is played in a cold-weather city. The predicted high is 6, though the temperature is expected to climb into the low 20s by gametime Sunday night.