Steelers' burden shifts back to Ben Roethlisberger with Le'Veon Bell hurt
PITTSBURGH – You know things are really bad when a cringe-inducing knee injury to a team’s all-pro running back isn’t the worst play of their day.
No, there were two that topped it.
That distinction goes to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw two head-scratching interceptions in consecutive plays from scrimmage late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Six plays after the first pick, the Bengals scored the game-winning touchdown.
“Health-wise, I’m OK,” said Roethlisberger, playing in his first game since suffering a knee sprain in Week 3. “I’m obviously disappointed in the way that I played. I let this team down and I let the fans down. This is on me and I’m taking the blame and letting everyone know that I have to play better.”
He’s right. Roethlisberger completed 28 of his 45 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and one that holds two Super Bowl rings. But if running back Le’Veon Bell is out for an extended period of time, Roethlisberger needs to perform far better than he did Sunday.
Because if Roethlisberger doesn’t, the Steelers (4-4) are in trouble. They’re three-and-a-half games back in the AFC North after the Bengals (7-0) firmed their grasp on the division. Their margin of error the rest of the way is slim, as their best bet to play in January is through one of two wild-card spots in the conference.
“When you’re at the point Ben is in his career, winning and losing is all that matters,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He sees that very clearly, as do I, but we didn’t do enough today.”
Bell’s injury only makes matters worse.
The Steelers are hopeful that Bell avoided a season-ending injury, though he still has to undergo a series of tests Monday, a person familiar with the situation told Paste BN Sports. The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the injury.
The team was optimistic that the injury was to his medial collateral ligament, meaning he likely would miss a few games rather than the remainder of the year. But NFL Network reported Bell had a badly torn MCL, along with other damage, and could miss the remainder of this season.
Bell suffered the injury while being tackled after a reception in the second quarter. On the play, Bell’s right cleat was planted on the turf when Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s weight came crashing on the running back's right knee, bending it awkwardly.
The team announced during the game that Bell left the stadium for further evaluation, but Tomlin said after the loss that he didn’t have any updates.
With the exception of Roethlisberger, Bell is the most important player on the Steeler roster. He’s one of the NFL’s top running backs, because of his versatility in the rushing and passing game. He’s Pittsburgh’s workhorse. He makes the Steeler offense that much more difficult to defend.
And if he’s forced to sit out a significant amount of time, the Steelers will be at a big disadvantage in their playoff hunt.
“Man, it hurts,” receiver Martavis Bryant told Paste BN Sports. “He’s our brother. And he’s the best back in the NFL. When we lose a guy like that, obviously it will hurt us. But at the same time, we’ve got another brother who is also a great running back with (backup) DeAngelo Williams. We’re going to have his back. I just pray that Le’Veon is all right.”
The offseason signing of Williams, who earned 110 yards on just 13 touches after Bell left the game, is proving to be more and more of a blessing for Pittsburgh. When Bell missed Pittsburgh’s first two games of the year due to a suspension, Williams rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries.
“I know why they brought me here,” Williams said. “I’m going to play my role. If that’s what they need me to do, I’m going to do that. My main goal and my main focus is when 26 (Bell’s jersey number) is not in there, it doesn’t take any pressure off the defense.”
Pittsburgh’s offense likely won’t look any different in Bell’s absence. Williams has a solid blend of speed and power and should keep the Steeler rushing game going.
“He’s more than capable of filling in and getting the job done,” tight end Heath Miller said.
The one big difference is that Bell is one of the top pass-catching running backs in the NFL, and a safety valve for Roethlisberger when the team’s other receivers are otherwise covered.
Between the injuries, there’s no question that bad luck is at play here for Pittsburgh. But in the NFL, that doesn’t matter. The Steelers need to find a way to make things work, or they will become irrelevant.
For the next several weeks, that burden will fall on Roethlisberger’s shoulders, and if the Steelers emerge from this stretch in a position to contend for the postseason, it will be because of their quarterback.
“The season is halfway over,” Roethlisberger said. “We’re going to let this burn at us and then turn the page. We’ve got a whole half of football left.”
All the Steelers can do is hope that some of that is with Bell in uniform.
Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.
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