ROETHLISBERGER ONSTEELERS’ SLIDE: ‘I NEED TO PLAY BETTER’
Ben Roethlisberger, PITTSBURGH— thefatherofthreeyoung children, used a very father of three young children word to describewhy he’s come under such heavy criticismduring the Pittsburgh Steelers’ three-game losing streak.
“When you play like poo, you should get talked about like that,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “I need to play better. If I’m not giving them a reason to talk good, I’m giving them a reason to talk bad. That’s all on me. I need to play better.”
AnddoitquicklyiftheSteelers (11-3) are to regain any sort of momentum heading into the playoffs. Eight weeks of brilliance to start the season in his return fromright elbow surgery that cost him most of 2019 has been followed by five weeks of mediocrity. The nadir — he hopes — came during a listless 27-17 loss to Cincinnati on Monday night in which he passed for all of 19 yards in the first half.
That’s not a typo. While he recovered a bit in the second half, Roethlisberger finished 20 of 38 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Those numbers don’t include a botched snap exchangewithcenterMaurkice Pouncey that set up a Cincinnati field goal or a short flip to JuJu Smith-Schuster that led to a Smith-Schuster fumble after getting drilled by Bengals safety Vonn Bell. Cincinnati scored a touchdown on the ensuing possessionwhile building a 17-0 advantage it didn’t come close to squandering.
Roethlisberger insists he’s
as healthy as can reasonably be expected heading into Week 16. Yet he’s also aware at 38 he can’t dowhat he did when he was 23. The Steelers have insisted on resting him duringWednesday practices for years, a routine they stuck to this week even with the offense sputtering.
The AFC North title that seemed a mere formality a month ago is on far shakier ground as Christmas approaches.
Theoffensethathasn’tscored more than 20 points in over a month met without coaches via videoconference, a meeting Roethlisberger stressedwasn’t about the team’s recent performance as much as about the opportunitiesthatstilllieahead.
“We’re getting ready to go into the playoffs. I had the guys raise their hands of who has played in a playoff game and
who hasn’t,” Roethlisberger said. “Itwas over half the guys that haven’t played in a playoff game. It’s important the veteran guys, the guys that have, communicate what it’s like.”
The next two weeks should provide apreview. The Steelers host Indianapolis (10-4) onSunday beforewrapping the regular season at Cleveland (10-4) on Jan. 3. A win in either game assures Pittsburgh of at least onehomeplayoffgameatHeinz Field. It would also go a long way toward restoring some of the swagger missing for the better part of a month.
Roethlisberger’s performance has been the fulcrum. After a 103.0 quarterback rating during an 8-0 start that thrust him into the fringe of the Most Valuable Player race, his numbers have fallen back to Earth, and so have the results. He’s
thrown eight touchdowns against six interceptions over Pittsburgh’s last five games and looked tentative against the going-nowhere Bengals.
Following a loss at Buffalo on Dec. 13, Roethlisberger said “if I don’t play good enough football, I need to hang it up.” He insists he’s doing what he can to keep that day at bay. As bad as it has been lately, he also carved up the Bengals for four touchdowns on Nov. 15.
“There’sbeentimeswhere I feel like it’s been really good,” he said. “There have been times where I haven’t been sharp mentally. I need to be more consistent with my play. That’s mentally and physically. I thinkwhenI play good football, mentally and physically, hopefully that will trickle down to everyone else.”