Steelers vs Bills: Winners and losers from Week 1 victory

Steelers loser: Ben Roethlisberger

While Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play badly in this game, he certainly didn’t play like many expected him to. While the offensive line did him no favors (more on that soon), Roethlisberger seemed off most of the game. While he didn’t throw an interception in the game, he wasn’t making plays to push the ball down the field.

Add in his fumble in the pocket and that alone led to a mediocre game for him. What was really concerning though was his lack of accuracy throwing the ball. He was regularly missing receivers on underthrown and high passes.

No player felt this worse than Najee Harris.

The rookie back had quite a few opportunities to reel in a catch, but he never could get his hands on the ball due to them being overthrown.

Again, I want to emphasize that the offensive line did Roethlisberger little favors. They were consistently letting the defenders into the backfield and allowing pressure on the Steelers’ offense. That said, it isn’t an excuse for a veteran like Roethlisberger. He struggled for most of the game and even when his play improved, it still wasn’t elite. If the Steelers want to be a competitive team this season, they will need their quarterback to improve in the pocket.