BY KEVIN GORMAN
November 13, 2016
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is hit by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Justin Durant (56) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016. (Fred Vuich/AP Photo)
For Ben Roethlisberger, the solution to the Steelers' midseason slide was as simple as the following four words:
Follow me. Watch me.
On Sunday, when the Steelers couldn't stop two Dallas Cowboys rookies, they had no choice but to follow their quarterback.
Where the defense came unglued in giving up touchdowns of 83 yards and 50 yards, Roethlisberger remained calm and collected.
We watched Big Ben rally the Steelers to a last-minute touchdown drive, finding the soft spot in the Dallas defense and then tricking the Cowboys to take the lead with 42 seconds left.
It should have gone down as one of his greatest game-winning drives, going 75 yards on five plays in 1:13.
Instead, after the Cowboys covered the same space in the same number of plays in only 33 seconds for a 35-30 victory at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger talked about a lack of accountability and discipline.
“That's why they're one of the best in the business,” he said, “and we're not right now.”
The Steelers (4-5) have gone from Super Bowl contender to a team that feels like, as a disgusted James Harrison said as he left the locker room, it is “quite terrible right now.”
A last-minute loss to the Cowboys (8-1) is nothing to be ashamed of, but defensive end Cameron Heyward was offended that he actually had to answer questions about whether the Steelers intentionally allowed Ezekial Elliott to score a go-ahead touchdown.
“The lack of execution and lack of detail, when we don't have that it's a recipe for not winning games,” Heyward said. “We talk about it every week. I just don't know what it takes to do it. You're beating a dead horse.”
Where Roethlisberger said that he “didn't think leadership was an issue” — his “follow me” and “watch me” comments were about finding a balance between urgency and calm, and how he planned to set the example — the Steelers' defensive leaders were at a loss for a solution to stop their skid.
“We definitely have the guys in this locker room to try and turn this around. We just got to find a way to do it,'' linebacker Ryan Shazier said. “If we got to practice harder or do what we got to do, we got to find a way to win ... find a way to get to the playoffs.
“We're a good enough team to win the Super Bowl, but, lately we haven't been playing like that and we got to find a way to do it.''
The Steelers won't sniff the Super Bowl unless they become more disciplined. They drew two unacceptable personal-foul penalties in the fourth quarter that proved costly.
The first came when cornerback Ross Cockrell popped Lucky Whitehead after a pass on the Cowboys' sideline, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty that turned a 5-yard play into a 20-yard gain. Dallas scored for a 29-24 lead with 1:55 left.
The second came after the Steelers scored for a 30-29 lead with 42 seconds left. With Dallas tight end Jason Witten bottled up, rookie safety Sean Davis drew a facemask penalty, turning another 5-yard pass into a 20-yard gain. This one proved fatal. On the next play, Ezekial Elliott broke free for a 32-yard touchdown to seal the win.
“We never want to give up a touchdown,” Heyward said. “It's just unfathomable that we surrendered two touchdowns in two minutes.
“It's just unacceptable.”
What's unacceptable is that the Steelers have scored 30 or more points in three of their four victories, and that it wasn't enough this time.
“Well, listen, 30 points a game is our goal,” Roethlisberger said. “That's what we want to do. We can only control what we do.”
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell (26) reaches for the goal line for a touchdown with Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker Damien Wilson (57) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016. (Fred Vuich/AP Photo)
What's unacceptable is that, for the second time this season, the Steelers allowed a rookie to pass for 300-plus yards. A defense that used to demoralize rookie quarterbacks allowed Dallas' Dak Prescott to complete 22 of 32 passes for 319 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
What's unacceptable is that the Steelers were so defenseless against the effervescent Elliott, who rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on an 83-yard pass play.
Roethlisberger repeated the line about accountability and being more disciplined over and over. The Steelers know the culprits who cost them this game, but didn't point fingers.
“We play as a team,” cornerback Will Gay said. “Everybody has a responsibility or a hand in the reason why we win or the reason why we lose. So, it's everybody. We just didn't do enough to win the game.”
There was little consolation in the locker room that the next game is against the Cleveland Browns (0-10). The Steelers are a team searching for solutions and finding no answers.
“I don't know,” Roethlisberger said. “But we need to get there quick.”
The Steelers watched and followed, to no avail. It's not time to panic, but there better be a sense of urgency.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
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