After fast start, Steelers' offense continues its slump
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) â The Pittsburgh Steelers finally found the end zone in the first quarter but couldnât get back there until the game was out of reach.
Pittsburgh failed to capitalize on its quick start and fell 27-17 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday for its third consecutive loss. Since opening the 2020 season with 11 straight victories, the Steelers have dropped eight of their last 10 games.
âWe have had some down years, (but) itâs probably never started like this,â quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. âWhat a challenge for us. I think this is going to test us all, that we need to look in the mirror and we need to figure out what path we want to take, and I know what Iâm going to do.â
The Steelers (1-3) began the season with a surprising 23-16 victory at Buffalo, which hasnât lost since. But the Steelers couldnât build on that momentum thanks largely to a sluggish offense.
Pittsburgh hasnât exceeded 17 points in any of its last three games.
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âWe wonât blink,â coach Mike Tomlin said. âWe just need to continue to get better.â
Early on, the Steelers looked like they had resolved some of their issues.
Roethlisberger went 4 of 4 for 59 yards on the gameâs opening series and capped the drive with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson down the right sideline. That ended a string of 11 straight games in which Pittsburghâs offense failed to score any first-quarter points.
The long strike to Johnson also was the 400th of Roethlisbergerâs career, making him just the eighth player to reach that milestone.
But the offense never really got going again.
âWe donât want to go around pointing fingers or blaming,â said JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught two passes for 11 yards. âI think for us is like, weâre in the trenches and thereâs no need for all that. I think what weâre doing right now is that weâre going to go back, look at the film, look at the tape. Weâre going to look over it and just learn from it. Thatâs all we can do.â
The Steelers didnât get another touchdown until rookie Najee Harris scored from 1 yard out with 4:04 left in the game.
After that strong opening series, the 39-year-old Roethlisberger â who has rarely looked to throw deep this season â was 22 of 36 for 173 yards with an interception. Kingsley Keke sacked Roethlisberger and forced a fumble that Kenny Clark recovered at Pittsburghâs 23-yard line early in the second quarter, setting up the touchdown that put Green Bay ahead for good.
The Steelers got a tough break late in the second quarter that could have turned the momentum in their favor.
Green Bay led 14-10 in the closing seconds of the first half when Pittsburghâs Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked Mason Crosbyâs 31-yard field-goal attempt and returned it 75 yards for an apparent go-ahead touchdown. The play was nullified when officials ruled Joe Haden had jumped offside.
Pittsburgh needed that kind of game-changing play on special teams because its offense isnât delivering.
After the Packers built a 27-10 lead, the Steelers reached Green Bay territory but failed to score on three straight second-half drives. Twice they lost the ball on downs. The other time, they opted to punt after a false-start penalty had them facing fourth-and-9.
The Steelers are unlikely to escape the cellar in the tough AFC North until their offense starts producing the way it has in the past.
âIâm going to come out tomorrow and give it everything that I have and do the same thing this week and get ready to go,â Roethlisberger said. âI just hope and pray that everyone else in that locker room does the same thing, because I think potentially it can be easy to quit in a situation like this, and I donât think we have that in this locker room.â
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