Bengals clinch playoff berth, eliminate Steelers
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- Andy Dalton beats Steelers for the first time in four career meetings
PITTSBURGH β Ben Roethlisberger stood at his locker, taking blame for a second consecutive game-costing interception after his latest mistake eliminated the Pittsburgh Steelers from the postseason.
Roethlisberger was late on a sideline throw intended for receiver Mike Wallace. Again. This time, Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson's interception with 14 seconds left set up Josh Brown's 43-yard field goal for a 13-10 win Sunday that clinched a wild-card berth for the Bengals.
It was a deflating case of deΜjaΜ vu for Roethlisberger. His overtime pass on a similar route intended for Wallace the previous Sunday was intercepted by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr to set up a game-winning field goal.
Big Ben's latest misfire ended the Steelers' hopes of making the playoffs, capping a season that was rocky from the start.
From Wallace's preseason holdout to key injuries β including rib and shoulder problems for Roethlisberger to the quarterback's spats with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, the season, after a solid start, seemed destined for disaster.
Roethlisberger, linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor each missed three or more games due to injuries. And a team that was 6-3 in November will watch the postseason after falling for the fifth time in its last six games.
"We should be (going to the playoffs) if it wasn't for me," Roethlisberger said. "Disappointment, pain, letting a lot of people down β it doesn't feel good. As soon as it left my hand, I knew it.
"We have a lot of very good guys out there on offense. They played well. They need better play from the quarterback."
So where do the Steelers go from here?
Wallace could be gone after the team failed to reach an agreement on a new deal following his holdout. He wants a contract in the neighborhood of Vincent Jackson's five-year, $55.6-million deal with Tampa Bay. Asked if he'd be back, Wallace told USA TODAY Sports: "I'm not sure."
Roethlisberger would benefit from taller targets, because Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are basically the same guy β fast, but 6-foot or shorter.
Pittsburgh is likely be in the market for a new running back, too, after free-agent-to-be Rashard Mendenhall spent time in the doghouse.
Harrison, 34, missed the preseason and first three regular-season games recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Can the Steelers afford to bring him back at a $10 million salary-cap hit in 2013?
"It hurts more here because we're used to winning," linebacker Larry Foote said. "A lot of guys here have multiple Super Bowl rings, so every time a season starts, we're thinking about winning a Lombardi.
"That's just the nature of this town. Every year since the 1970s, we're supposed to win the Super Bowl. We have the athletes to do it. We didn't get it done."
What was expected to save them against the Bengals was the psychological edge of having 17 players who had played in two Super Bowls, including their Super Bowl XLIII win four years ago.
"We weren't that team this year," safety Ryan Clark said. "It doesn't matter how many players went to Super Bowls if you don't perform on game day. Year to year, things change."
Still, this wasn't the ending any of them expected.
Since Roethlisberger's return from his injuries, the Steelers are 0-3. He hasn't resembled a two-time Super Bowl winner. He threw a pair of interceptions Sunday to offset his 60-yard touchdown to Brown.
The Steelers will be home for postseason for only the second time since coach Mike Tomlin was hired to replace Bill Cowher in 2007.
"We never make excuses," Roethlisberger said. "I had a lot of injuries to deal with, but we have always done well with filling in. We did things to give us a chance to win. But I blew it."
But it gets worse: Tomlin revealed that tight end Heath Miller suffered torn posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments inside his right knee during the game's final minutes.
"It wasn't our year," Wallace said.
Not from Day 1, when he was a no-show.