Ben Roethlisberger says struggling Pittsburgh Steelers ‘need to look in the mirror, and it starts with me’

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger was blunt in his self-assessment after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second consecutive loss, a 26-15 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.

“If I don’t play good enough football, then I need to hang it up,” he said. “I still feel like I can do enough things to help this team win football games, and I’ll do everything I can to get us back on track.”

The 38-year-old quarterback completed 21 of 37 attempts for 187 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, including his first pick-six since 2018 to close the first half.

Another week of a predictable offense led to explosive plays by the opposing defense, and the Steelers fell to 11-2 at the hands of a surging Bills team. The Bills’ defense was all over the short, quick passes that barely moved the ball down the field. The Steelers averaged just 4.1 yards per play.

“We have to win more possession downs and thus possess the ball more and give us more opportunities,” coach Mike Tomlin said, explaining why the Steelers didn’t stretch the field more. “The more snaps you get, the more opportunities you get to make some of the dynamic plays you suggested. It starts first with staying on schedule and possessing the ball, and we are not doing enough of that right now. That makes some of the other discussions more troublesome.”

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Despite having starting running back James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey back from the reserve/COVID-19 list after two-game absences, the run game was basically nonexistent, with 17 carries for 47 yards, including 10 carries for 18 by Conner. In the past two games, the Steelers have combined for 68 rushing yards on 31 attempts for 2.2 yards per rush. Meanwhile, the same team rushed for at least 100 yards in the first five games of the season. Since Week 7, though, the Steelers have rushed for 100 yards just once in eight games. The Steelers rank last in the NFL in rush yards per game and yards per rush since Week 7.

“Defenses can play fast if you can’t run the ball,” Roethlisberger said. “We need to do better at being a more balanced offense. We need to do better at executing the plays that are called.”

In the passing game, the Steelers continued to have trouble with drops. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson had two drops in the first two series and was benched until the second half.

Although the Steelers took a 7-0 lead early, turning Cameron Sutton’s second recovered turnover into a touchdown from Roethlisberger to James Washington, the Bills shifted momentum back in their favor by intercepting Roethlisberger just before halftime. A pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster was picked off by Taron Johnson and returned 51 yards for a touchdown to give the Bills a 9-7 lead at the break.

The Bills followed that score with back-to-back touchdowns on throws from Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis to open the third quarter.

“We made a few plays in the first half,” Tomlin said. “Defensively, they made a few plays. Their plays were more significant than ours. That pick-six was the significant play, so you’ve got to give them credit.”

The Steelers pulled within a score in the fourth quarter, when Roethlisberger orchestrated a 4-minute, 38-second, 10-play scoring drive that ended with a touchdown to Smith-Schuster.

But after the defense held the Bills to a field goal, the Steelers’ offense responded with a short possession that ended with Roethlisberger’s second interception of the night.

“We need to look in the mirror, and it starts with me,” Roethlisberger said. “I need to play better football because the ball is in my hands every single play. When it’s in my hands, I need to make the best decision. Right now, I’m not playing good enough football to win.”

With the loss, the Steelers continued the regression that began in a close win against the Baltimore Ravens 12 days ago and continued with a loss to the Washington Football Team.

The Steelers became the sixth team in NFL history to lose consecutive games after starting a season 11-0 or better. Of the previous five teams to do that, only the 2009 Saints and the 1998 Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl.

“We’ve lost two,” Roethlisberger said. “We’re facing some adversity. We’re not hitting the panic button. Offensively, we’re not very good. Right now, we’re not playing good football, and that starts with me. So we all need to look in the mirror. It starts with me and understand that we all need to be better. I think that we will be.

“I think this is a team that’s got a lot of resilience and that is resilient and understands what it takes to win football games and understands what time of year it is and that the way that we’re playing right now is unacceptable.”

The loss to the Bills concludes a stretch of three games in 12 days brought on by the Ravens game being rescheduled three times because of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Baltimore organization. The Steelers got permission from the league to travel to Buffalo early Sunday to get more prep time in Pittsburgh.

Now, for the first time since they played Jacksonville in Week 11, the Steelers have a relatively normal week of game preparation. They’re scheduled to play the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, giving them time to address the recurring offensive deficiencies and potentially get some injured defensive players, such as Joe Haden, back in the mix.

“We have to find a way to collect ourselves and make sufficient plays, but we didn’t,” Tomlin said. “We accept responsibility for that and get ready for our next opportunity.”