PITTSBURGH – Ben Rothlisberger failed his self-assessment after the Pittsburgh Steelers lost for the second time in a row to a 26-15 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.
“If I don’t play good enough football I need to hang it,” he said. “I still feel like I can do enough things to help this team win football games, and I will do my best to get us back on track.”
The 38-year-old quarterback completed 21 of 217 attempts for 187 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, including his first pick-six to close the first half of 2018.
The second week of the supposed offense saw explosive play by the opposing defense, and the Steelers fell 11-2 at the hands of a rising Bills team. Bill’s defense was around a short, quick pass, barely moving the ball down the field. The Steelers averaged 4.1 yards per game.
“We have to win more possession down and thus more possession of the ball and give us more chances,” said coach Mike Tomly, “why the Steelers weren’t stretching the field more. “The faster you get, the more chances you have to create some of the dynamic plays you suggest. It starts with staying on schedule first and capturing the ball, and we’re not doing enough right now. It makes some other discussions more difficult. . “
Although James Kanner and center Mauricis Paunsi started running back from the reserve / COVID-19 list after a two-game absence, the run game basically survived, with Conner carrying 17 for 47 yards, including 10 for 18. In the last two games, the Steelers have averaged 68 rushing yards on 31 attempts of 2.2 yards per rush. Meanwhile, the same team ran at least 100 yards in the first five games of the season. Since the seventh week, however, the Steelers have run for 100 yards once in eight games. The Steelers are ranked last in the NFL from Week 7 per game in rush yards per game and per yard in terms of rush.
“Defense can play fast if you can’t run the ball,” Rothlisberg said. “We need to do better to become a more balanced crime. We need to do better in running so-called plays.”
In the passing game, the Steelers had trouble with the drops. In the first two series wide receiver Dionte Johnson dropped two drops and was benched until the second half.
However, the Stilters took an early 0-0 lead, turning Cameron Sutton’s second recovered turnover into a touchdown from Rothlisburger to James Washington, stopping Rothlisburger before Bill halftime. A pass made for Juju Smith-Schuster caught Taron Johnson fast and returned 51 yards for a touchdown to give Bill a 9-7 lead at break.
Bill followed the score with a back-to-back touchdown on throws from Josh Allen to Stephen Diggs and Gabriel Davis to open the third quarter.
Tomley said, “We did a few plays in the first part.” Defensively, they did a few plays. His plays were more significant than ours. That pick-six was a remarkable play, so you have to give them credit. “
The Steelers pulled within a score in the fourth quarter, while Rothlisburger organized a minute-minute, -38-second, 10-play scoring drive, which ended with Smith-Schuster touching down.
But after the defense delivered Bill to the field goal, the Steelers’ offense responded with a short possession that ended with Rothlisburger’s second interception of the night.
“We need to look in the mirror, and it starts with me,” Rothlisberg said. “I need to play better football because in every game the ball is in my hands. I need to make the best decision when it’s in my hands. Right now, I’m not playing enough football to win.”
With the loss, the Steelers continued the tension that began 12 days earlier in a close win against the Baltimore Ravens and continued with the defeat to the Washington football team.
The Stevens became the sixth team in NFL history to lose consecutive games after starting the season 11-0 or more. Of the previous five teams to do so, only the Saints of 2009 and the Broncos of 1998 advanced to the Super Bowl.
“We lost two,” Rothlisberg said. “We’re having a bit of trouble. We don’t hit the panic button. Aggressively, we’re not very good. Right now, we’re not playing good football, and it starts with me. So we all need to pay attention. He starts with me and understands that we all need to get better. I think we will stay.
“I think this is a team that has got a lot of resilience and they are resilient and they understand what it takes to win football games and they understand how long the year is and the way we are currently playing. That is unacceptable. “
The Covid-19 outbreak in Billimore’s organization has caused Bill’s losses to be pulled three times in the 12 days re-scheduled by Ravens Game. The Steelers were allowed by the league to travel to Buffalo as early as Sunday to get more prep time in Pittsburgh.
Now, for the first time since they played Jacksonville in the 11th week, the Steelers have a normal level of game preparation. They are scheduled to play the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, giving them time to overcome repeated offensive deficiencies and potentially return to the mix with some injured defensive players, such as Hayden.
“We had to find a way to collect ourselves and do enough plays, but we didn’t.” “We accept responsibility for that and will be ready for our next opportunity.”
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