Ben Roethlisberger hailed the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense as one of the best he has played with after a win over the New York Giants.

After undergoing surgery on an elbow injury that ended his 2019 season following just two games, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a 26-16 victory in his return on Monday.

Roethlisberger completed 21 of 32 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers started their 2020 season with a win.

But the veteran quarterback was full of praise for the Steelers' defense, who intercepted Daniel Jones twice and sacked the Giants QB three times.

"They're unbelievable. Unfortunately, I have to face them every day in practice," Roethlisberger told reporters.

"They're one of the best defenses I've played with and I've played with some really good ones so I'm excited to be on the football field with them.

"As a quarterback, they allow you to play more free because if you do make a mistake you can count on them to bail you out of it and they did it tonight numerous times, creating turnovers, big stops, I just can't say enough about the way they play."

A two-time Super Bowl winner, the 38-year-old Roethlisberger is in his 17th season in the NFL.

While there was talk Roethlisberger could retire after his elbow injury, the QB was happy to be back.

"I'm excited we won the game. I told the guys before the game it's not about me, individually the reason I came back is for these guys, for this team," he said.

"It's a special group of football players and men and so I'm just thankful to be a part of it."