The Killer B's, in the context of the Pittsburgh Steelers, refer to the era from the 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers season to the 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers season when three offensive players were in their prime:[1] Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger, all of whom have initials beginning with the letter 'B'.[2][3] Sometimes, this group included placekicker Chris Boswell due to his accuracy, this was cemented in a playoff win where Boswell accounted for all of the Steelers points. The group is considered to be one of the most talented offensive trios in the history of the Steelers and "one of the most dynamic, unstoppable assemblages of offensive talent the league has ever seen".[4] However, they never saw serious success, reaching only three playoff games in their six years together.[5]
Pittsburgh's Killer B's era ended after Bell refused to sign the franchise tag of which was placed on him during the 2017 season, and while still technically on the roster, did not play and sat out the entire season. After Bell left in free agency during the 2018 offseason, Brown would be traded to the Oakland Raiders, but would be cut before the 2019 season started.[6] Brown would then sign with the Patriots, though his tenure there only lasted one game before he was cut. After leaving the Patriots, Brown would rejoin Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, where they both won Super Bowl LV. Roethlisberger would remain a Steeler until his retirement following the 2021 season.
References
edit- ^ Gagnon, Brad. "Pittsburgh Steelers Wasted One of the NFL's Most Talented Trios of All Time". Bleacher Report.
- ^ "The Killer B's". www.steelers.com.
- ^ Kuzma, Joe (2019-01-04). "Stung! How the Killer B's "killed" the 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers". Steel City Underground. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Kelly, Danny (2018-01-14). "The Steelers' Defense Stung the Killer Bs". The Ringer. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Starkey, Joe (2019-02-20). "Joe Starkey: Steelers' 'Killer B's' era a profound disappointment, mostly on account of bad luck". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Fowler, Jeremy (2019-03-11). "With Killer B's done, Steelers cancel 'football version of Kardashians'". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-01-09.