“There are a lot of things involved. Sometimes physicality is mental too. You have to be mentally tough. All of those things combined I think can hopefully turn this thing around and we can hit the plays that are there to be had.” — Ben, on the question as to whether the offense needs to be more physical.

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Normally when you talk about the Steelers, it’s about their physical play, their tenacity and aggressiveness in all areas of play.

But when Coach Mike Tomlin talked about his team during his weekly press conference, it was the Steelers who were getting called out for not being the more physical team in the loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Roethlisberger doesn’t feel like wholesale changes need to be made after the team lost two straight games, he just believes they need to be more…physical.

“I don’t think we need to adjust drastically,” said Roethlisberger. “There are plays to be had that we are not making. I think some of it stems from physicality. I don’t think we are being as physical as we should be and need to be all of the time. I think that is something we always took pride in as the Pittsburgh Steelers and being physical.”

It’s easy for many to point the finger at the offensive line because the offense starts up front, but Roethlisberger said that isn’t accurate. He stressed that the offense needs to be more physical at every spot.

“Physicality isn’t just about the line,” said Roethlisberger. “I think people think that is where it is. But it’s about picking up the blitzes, getting the tough yards, blocking on the perimeter. Things like that.

“When you talk about physicality, that’s where everyone automatically looks. Your eyes go to o-line, d-line, because that is every single play you have to be physical. So, it naturally falls in that area. I don’t think all of the fingers should be pointed there by any means. When we talk about physicality, I think the line takes it personal because they want to be physical.

“Being physical doesn’t always mean I am going to go blow him off the line of scrimmage or outpower him. Sometimes being physically tough in your mind. You have to find multiple ways to be physical. It’s not just the line, it’s all of us. As runners, sometimes […]

We lost two. We’re facing some adversity. But we’re not hitting the panic button. Offensively, we’re not very good. Right now we’re not playing good football and that starts with me. We all need to look in the mirror – like I said, it starts with me. We all need to be better and I think that we will be. We are a team with a lot of resilience, and understands what it takes to win football games and understands what time of year it is. We need to play better on offense. The way we are playing now is unacceptable. — Ben.

From Mike Prisuta, Steelers.com:

The Steelers took the field in Buffalo knowing they had qualified for the playoffs but left the turf at Bills Stadium with a two-game losing streak.

Kansas City’s 33-27 victory over Miami on Sunday afternoon assured the Steelers of their first trip to the postseason since 2017, but there wasn’t much to celebrate after a 26-15 loss to the Bills on Sunday night.

The Steelers fell to 11-2. The Bills improved to 10-3.

Buffalo exhausted the final 7:11 of regulation after the second interception of the night thrown by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave the Bills possession at their 29-yard line.

I hope so! If I don’t play good enough football then I need to hang it up, but you know, I still feel like I can do enough things to help this team win football games and I’m going to do everything I can to get us back on track. — Ben, when asked if he can “turn it around” for the next three games.

You can read more here.

How about a hearty Black & Gold Welcome to the newest members of Steelers Nation!

“This handsome dude is 2-month old DeShawn Anderson. He is a new life-long Steelers Fan!🖤💛” — Grandma Deeann.

“If I don’t rest up now, I’ll never make it for the Sunday night game!!” — Abigail. (Photo: Mom Chelsea)

“This is my granddaughter Adalynn. She always wears her Steelers memorabilia and watches every game.” — Grandpa Mark.

“Baby Laker hugging his first football.” — Mom Teri.

“Koumianis & Rinoula: This was the only picture where she smiled during her newborn photoshoot. My son’s name is Koumianis and he is 2. He knows how to sing ‘Black and Yellow’.” — Mom Marianna.

“Leo James was born on 10-16-2020 and this is him getting ready to cheer on the Steelers vs Browns from Hershey, PA! He was thrilled with the win. We will all be cheering on The Steelers and Big Ben this week as we always do!” — Dad Shane.

“Cole Barclay – Steelers fan from Day One.” — Dad Todd.

“Emberlyn was less than 2 weeks old when this was taken back in 2017.” — Mom Stephanie.

“My grandson, Liam – 4 days old and ready to play.” — Grandma Carrie.

“You know, I think some black & gold booties would really make this outfit pop!” — Kieran. (Photo: Mom Vivian)



Evangelina and Zayden with their mommy, Lauren on the Terrible Towel Sofa.

“It took me no time decking Annabelle out in Black and Gold the minute she was born. Annabelle doesn’t say much during the games, and occasionally passes out before the half, but this girl is always with Daddy on Sundays in front of the TV. Love ya […]

“We all need to get better but it’s more than just the run game. We need to get better as a group. That fluidity comes with staying on the field and converting third downs.” — Ben.

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Ben Roethlisberger knows what his receivers are capable of. He knows what they bring to the table, the talent they have individually and as a unit.

But the last few weeks the receivers were plagued by dropped passes, including some passes that were right on the money.

Roethlisberger was asked if he needed to have a talk with them, find out what is causing the problem. He brushed that off and put the blame for the drops squarely on his own shoulders.

“I think I just need to give them more catchable balls, put them into a position to catch balls where they’re not going to get hit,” said Roethlisberger. “I am not going to worry too much about pulling them aside and having a heart to heart that you need to catch a ball. I need to give them balls that are more catchable. I need to be my best so they can be their best. When they are at their best, we are pretty good.”

During his weekly press conference, Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t appear to have much patience for the drops and stated anyone who can’t hold on to the ball won’t see the ball come their way.

The dropped passes aren’t the only area where the team has had some offensive struggles the past few weeks. The run game also has stalled somewhat, with only 21 yards on the ground in the loss to Washington and 68 yards against Baltimore.

“Hopefully we can get it fixed,” said Roethlisberger. “Obviously if we had the answers, we would have it fixed by now. We believe in our guys. We believe in the guys up front, the backs. It’s on me. It’s RPO. I throw it instead of hand it off. Maybe I should have handed it off.

On the Buffalo Bills –

“They’re a really good football team,” said Roethlisberger. “They are playing with a lot of confidence. They have an MVP caliber quarterback playing at that level. They have some defenders who are taking the ball away every time the ball is thrown their way. They’re […]

I wasn’t good enough, we didn’t put up enough points. — Ben, post-game.

Ben completed 33 of 53 passes for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Monday’s loss.

He connected with eight different pass-catchers to top 300 yards for the fourth time this season. His biggest play came on a 50-yard touchdown to James Washington. He also found Diontae Johnson for a three-yard score to open the game. Unfortunately one of Ben’s final passes was batted into the air before being intercepted.


You can watch Ben’s post-game interview here.

More from Alumni Weekend here.