Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 things we learned in loss to Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Ravens Sunday in Pittsburgh. It was a tough loss in a tough season. There was hope for a moment, but in the end they were 1-2-1.

It was a difficult loss for the Steelers. The Ravens went up by 14 early in the game. The Steelers fought back to tie it at the half. A full halftime of hope. And then in the second half, the game got away from Pittsburgh and they fell 26-14.

All losses are difficult. But the Steelers have not had playoff hopes so dim for the better part of a decade. As much as some corners of Steelers fandom have constantly called for trading this player or that, firing this coach or that, we’ve been spoiled for many years. For those of us old enough to live through the late 90s/early 00s, or much of the 80s, we’ve felt hopelessness. But we’re not there yet.

That said, here’s what we learned.

Roethlisberger’s Team

Roethlisberger has been a critical part of this team for 15 years now. For much of that span he’s been the most important player. This year he is more important than ever. Ben had a mediocre to below average game Sunday and the Steelers lost. This year, I don’t expect any other outcome would have been possible.

As important as Ben has been in the past, they’ve often had a great running game and they’ve often had a great defense. This year they have neither of those things. In fact, those elements are often pretty poor. This team’s destiny is almost entirely on Ben’s shoulders this year. If anyone could carry that weight it’s Big Ben. But can anyone carry that weight?