With Ben Near The End, Steelers Look To Somehow Salvage Season

Pittsburgh PA

04 October, 2021

8:49 AM

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PITTSBURGH, PA —The Steelers cemented their last-place status in the AFC North Sunday by losing to the Green Bay Packers 27-17. With their 1-3 record, they are now two games behind the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. The reeling Steelers have lost three in a row after an impressive opening win against the Buffalo Bills. They haven't been able to generate anything on offense and the defense has been lackluster since the Bills game. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to take the bulk of the blame for the trio of poor performances. After a touchdown drive to open Sunday's game, the aging quarterback once again was mostly ineffective. If the Steelers can't fix what ails them soon, they will be in the unusual position of being out of the playoff hunt before Halloween. Here's what writers across the country thought about the game: Chase Goodbread, NFL.com: "The Steelers offense was a dumpster fire. The NFL's worst running game actually sprung Najee Harris for a respectable 15-for-62 day, but Pittsburgh either couldn't orwouldn't sustain that part of its offense, depending on how quickly you think the scoreboard deficit demanded its abandonment. The passing attack, meanwhile, was wholly lacking in explosiveness while the Packers defense zeroed in on the stationary Ben Roethlisberger."Brooke Pryor, ESPN: "The Steelers' offense did what it hasn't done in 13 weeks by scoring a touchdown on the opening drive. But that was the only thing different about a clunky and stagnant offense in Sunday's loss. Even the third-quarter fourth-down play -- a swing pass to Najee Harris -- was a repeat of the same one that failed against the Bengals a week earlier."Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports: "Pittsburgh's offense continues to struggle. While Najee Harris rushedfor 62 yards, no other Pittsburgh player gained a single yard on the ground. The Steelers' offensive line allowed two sacks of Roethlisberger, whose second quarter sack/fumble set up the Packers' go-ahead score. Roethlisberger passed Brett Favre on Sunday as the second-most sacked quarterback in league history."Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports: "The touchdown throw to Diontae Johnson was Roethlisberger's 400th in the NFL. Hehas been a tremendous pro, a surefire Hall of Famer. But the end is nigh. It was all on display in Sunday's loss."Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk:"Roethlisberger continued to throw short passes almost exclusively as he looked like he just no longer has the arm to be an effective NFL quarterback .Roethlisberger looks ready to have the Steelers contending for their first last-place finish since 1988."Next: The Steelers play the Denver Broncos Sunday at Heinz Field. Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.