Dunlap: Ben Needed To Be Better In Baltimore
This isn't debatable: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is elite.
This also isn't debatable: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was downright terrible -- as measured against his own lofty standards -- when his team needed him to come up with a top-notch performance on Sunday against the Ravens.
Heck, they could have even used an above-average performance from Ben and probably got away with a win.
But let's not sugarcoat one this: He was bad.
Talk about offensive coordinator Todd Haley all you like... this isn't on him.
Talk about head coach Mike Tomlin all you like and eschewing a field goal attempt early on for what became a stuffed fourth-down attempt... this isn't on him.
Talk about the defense all you like. We knew they were subpar all the way back to St. Vincent, when we questioned if they could hold teams to under 30 points on any Sunday... this isn't on that bunch of guys.
This one is on Ben.
I'm as big as a Big Ben fan as there is, but even I can step away from a game and see the truth for what it is... Ben needed to be much better.
It is OK to say it, it is alright to blame him, we can think he's wonderful in totality and still think he wasn't at all good against Baltimore.
Because, you know, that's where I am in all of this.
As the Steelers marched into Baltimore against a lowly quarterback and a team with absolutely nothing to lose, this was a prime opportunity for a quarterback such as Roethlisberger to both thrust his team into the playoffs and, at the same time, toss some healthy stats onto his already-impressive resume.
He did neither.
He went 24 for 34 for 215 yards with two costly interceptions and was lucky there was a neutral zone infraction that disallowed what would have been a third, backbreaking interception.
He has, no other way to say it, got to be better.
"We controlled our own destiny, and we blew it today," Roethlisberger said as part of his postgame comments in the 20-17 loss. "We gave the ball away and you can't do that. I can't do that."
Right on.
More superstars should take a hint from Roethlisberger and do some thumb pointing right at their chest instead of finger pointing around the room at other factors when the times get toughest.
In these parts, Roethlisberger has become one of our preeminent conquering heroes, leading this franchise to impressive heights as he's masterfully commanded that offense.
Perhaps that's why, with the Steelers trailing by a field goal and 80 yards away from the end zone with 2:55 left, it still felt as if Ben would get the job done.
He didn't.
To be sure, it was a tall task, but those are the moments we expect Roethlisberger to come through in, the ones that separate him from most.
After the Steelers walked off the field, with the Jets and Chiefs winning their games in other locales, the playoff picture became very, very clear: The Steelers must now beat the Cleveland Browns next week and the Jets must lose to the Buffalo Bills.
If both of those things happen, the Steelers are in. If not, these Pittsburgh Steelers will find themselves watching -- and not participating in -- the playoffs.
And again, as the Steelers need to win next week to keep their hopes alive, know who the crux of all this falls on? Ben Roethlisberger.
It has to.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
