The Pittsburgh Steelers are used to dominating the Cincinnati Bengals ever since Ben Roethlisberger joined the team in 2004.
That is why plenty of fans likely thought the Week 3 matchup against the two teams would be an easy Steelers victory.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals had plenty to say about that.
The final was a 24-10 win for Cincinnati in a game that saw Burrow throw three touchdowns on only 18 total attempts.
Joe Mixon also added 90 yards on the ground for the balanced attack.
The Steelers provided the exact opposite type of day.
32 of Ben Roethlisberger's 38 completions were within 10 yards.
The saddest part: if you tried to find the swing pass to Najee Harris on 4th and 10, you couldn't.
How much longer before the #Steelers realize that this can't work in the modern NFL? pic.twitter.com/bynvyrP9o5
— Bradley Locker (@Bradley_Locker) September 26, 2021
Fans in Pittsburgh are now left wondering if Roethlisberger even gives the team the best shot at winning.
A Rough Day On Offense
Roethlisberger finished 38/58 on the day for 318 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
That is not a whole lot to show for 58 passing attempts, and the tweet a few lines above shows most of his passes failed to even travel 10 yards.
He is dumping off throws for short gains, eliminating the potential for a big play on offense.
Rookie Najee Harris finished with 14 receptions for 102 yards.
Normally, that is a great line.
However, he failed to score a touchdown on any of those receptions and only added 40 yards on the ground.
He was there to make the catch, but the Bengals were simply allowing those plays to happen all day.
Roethlisberger also took four sacks on the day as his mobility continues to be in question.
Perfectly executed play-fake, tons of time, and Ben Roethlisberger just … finds a sack.
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) September 26, 2021
It was another ugly game as the Steelers fell to 1-2.
A Bad Start
The Steelers were able to shock the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.
But a closer look reminds fans that the Steelers got a special teams touchdown in that 23-16 victory.
What followed was a 17-point performance in Week 2 against Las Vegas before the 10-point outing against Cincinnati.
The Bengals are not supposed to be the defense totally shutting down the Steelers offense.
Yet that is what happened as the unit continues to be one-dimensional with an aging quarterback way past his prime.
One fair point is that we are only through three games in the season.
Roethlisberger has had slow starts before and the entire team has bounced back.
We can all see that the defense is playing at a solid level.
But that won’t matter if there is truly no running game and Harris is being asked to do everything as a rookie.
He is not Le’Veon Bell and the offense also lacks a dynamic receiver like an Antonio Brown.
The Steelers are a team filled with young skill players, but with a quarterback nearing retirement.
That puts the entire organization in a rough spot and the only hope is that Roethlisberger turns things around so his potential farewell season doesn’t end on an ugly note.
NEXT: Ben Roethlisberger Appears Ready To Start In Week 3