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Hines Ward spent 14 seasons with the Steelers. He caught 1,000 passes for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns, with many of his receptions coming on passes from Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger is on injured reserve, and Ward now is an offensive assistant for the Jets.

Ward will face his former team for the first time Sunday, as will running back Le'Veon Bell.

“It will be special for me,” Ward said, via Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “I want to beat the Steelers just as much as anybody in this building. I’m telling my guys they gotta win this one for me. I want the Gatorade shower and all that if we win.”

Ward praised Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, comparing him to Roethlisberger.

“He reminds me a lot of Ben Roethlisberger,” Ward said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “When I first came into the league, we had a young kid coming in full of talent. You want to see his progression grow as a quarterback, and he’s done that. You see tons of improvement. . . .Sam is gonna be great. He’s gonna be a good one.”