There's no hiding it right now. The Steelers are a bad football team.
Pittsburgh is 0-4 for the first time since 1968 following a 34-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Mathematically, the Steelers are still alive. But all indications tell us this team was dead on arrival.
Ben Roethlisberger, who flew all the way to London to suffer this latest indignity, didn't sugarcoat things after the game.
"Right now, you could say we're the worst team in the league, and that hurts," said Roethlisberger, who finished 36-for-51 passing for 383 yards, one touchdown and an interception. "And as a competitor, you don't like that."
Roethlisberger has played his part in the Steelers' lost September. His fumble in the red zone sealed the outcome in the final minute on Sunday. Of course, few quarterbacks could have kept this team in contention that long, given the sorry state of Pittsburgh's offensive line.
"I just have to hope and believe we can turn it around because we have to believe that we can still be a part of something special," he said. "And if you don't believe that, then you don't need to be on this team or be out here."
This is uncharted water for Roethlisberger, who's never been associated with a sub-.500 team during his decorated NFL career. Barring a substantial turnaround, that's about to change.
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