Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers lay egg for third straight loss

It wasn’t that long ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers were 11-0 and on top of the NFL. Now they are 11-3, have lost three straight, and their poor offensive play has raised some serious concerns.

The Steelers lost 27-17 at Cincinnati on “Monday Night Football.” The offense was shut out in the first half, as Ben Roethlisberger only had 19 yards passing in the half. They managed to put up points in the second half, but their comeback efforts were not enough.

Roethlisberger finished 20/38 for just 170 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and a lost fumble. The Steelers only had 244 total yards in the game.

Pittsburgh’s slide began exactly two weeks ago with a loss to Washington in a Monday game that got rescheduled. The Steelers were on a short week and had their scheduled jumbled around for that one following the Thanksgiving schedule disaster against the Ravens, so they had somewhat of an excuse for not being at their best. Then the Steelers lost at Buffalo, which is understandable considering how good the Bills are this year.

But what was inexcusable was the loss to Cincinnati. The Bengals entered the game 2-10-1 and are playing their third-string quarterback, Ryan Finley.

The Steelers’ defense mostly took care of business. But the offense had an interception and two lost fumbles, which cost them. Their offense just hasn’t been good enough to make up for those mistakes.

Roethlisberger told Steelers fans not to worry about the team’s losses. There has been talk that the team is concerned about the QB’s knees. All of this has come as a report said Roethlisberger will play in 2021.

The Steelers should be better moving forward, but their offense is a concern. There is a very real possibility that their Week 17 game against the Browns will be for the division title. When Pittsburgh was 11-0, who thought that would be possible?