“They just feel different. They feel like their window closed,” Ben Roethlisberger recently said about his former rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. According to the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, John Harbaugh’s departure, Derrick Henry turning another year old, and Lamar Jackson’s disappointing season last year are major reasons for Baltimore’s declining Super Bowl outlook. However, Big Ben’s comments have prompted former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith to fire back, describing the Steelers’ roster as “trash.”

“It’s nothing because who cares what Ben Roethlisberger thinks? I mean, come on, man. He’s never going to say something positive anyway,” Smith said on WJZ. “But I do believe that as long as you have Lamar Jackson, your window is there. It’s funny because he’s the same guy that people were saying that about in Pittsburgh, but he was in his 30s. Lamar Jackson is still in his 20s and is very much the best player in the league. So, I do like Ben Roethlisberger.

“However, seems like this is the guy that’s trying to pump up the Steelers. Like, they’re terrible. I don’t care who they have at quarterback. Obviously, they’ve got their guy back. And it’s been a battle just because of the actual teams. They had this false sense of reality that all of a sudden, Pittsburgh is going to change because Mike Tomlin was the problem. They’re going to find out real quick the roster is still trash.”

The Ravens entered the 2025 season as favorites to make the Super Bowl. However, the team failed to even qualify for the playoffs. Jackson, meanwhile, missed a bunch of games after hurting his hamstring. And on top of that, the Steelers also defeated them twice, including the do-or-die season finale. So, it’s safe to say where Roethlisberger’s Super Bowl comments came from.

However, Smith is against the former NFL quarterback. Per Smith, the Ravens are still in contention to be a successful team, as they have Lamar Jackson. While it’s true that Jackson’s numbers dropped to just 2549 passing yards and 21 touchdowns last season from 4172 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2024, he’s still a two-time MVP and still in his late 20s.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens ranked 28th in pass rush win rate and dropped from 54 sacks in 2024 to 30 sacks in 2025, ranking 28th in the league. But heading into the 2026 season, Baltimore has addressed that need as well, signing Trey Hendrickson on a long-term deal. Still, Smith’s comments are not entirely true, especially about the Steelers.

Smith believes that the Steelers’ roster is trash with Mike McCarthy now leading the franchise. But that really makes you wonder: Is it? Perhaps not. For starters, Pittsburgh defeated Baltimore twice last year, and Jackson has defeated the Steelers just twice in the regular season in his NFL career. Pittsburgh might not be the strongest team in the AFC North, but they’re still a contender to win the division after Aaron Rodgers’ return.

Besides, they’ve also brought Michael Pittman Jr. to complement DK Metcalf in the wide receiver room, with Rico Dowdle adding depth in the backfield. On top of that, they also have Jaquan Brisker and Jamel Dean, along with ten rookie additions from the draft, with Max Iheanachor and Germie Bernard being the top round picks and expected to have an impact.

That said, both teams will face each other in the 2026 season twice as well. And while both Roethlisberger and Smith have been critics of each other’s former teams, it’s tough to say which team is a favorite to win the AFC North.