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Failure abundant in latest Pittsburgh loss

PITTSBURGH — This was all about things the Steelers were lacking on Sunday, and Ben Roethlisberger was only one item on that list.

Roethlisberger was on the sideline in sweats after undergoing knee surgery last Monday, just another spectator for the frustrating 27-16 loss to the New England Patriots at Heinz Field.

It takes a lot to beat a team like the Patriots, and that’s tough to do when the team’s franchise quarterback can’t play.

Backup Landry Jones had a mostly competent game, but too many other things went wrong, creating a perfect storm that caused the Steelers to fall to 4-3 in advance of their open week.

Missed opportunities, missed tackles and a few questionable coaching decisions all conspired to give the Steelers their second consecutive loss.

Maybe the other factors could have been overcome by a Roethlisberger-led offense, but that’s a hypothetical that will never be answered.

Mike Tomlin had a list of things that bothered him:

n “We left some red zone possessions out there.”

n “We missed a field goal.”

n “We had several opportunities to make combat catches, and by that I mean receivers in one-on-one situations with defenders. We didn’t make enough of those.”

n “We didn’t come off blocks and make enough tackles in the run game.”

n “We gave up two big chunks to (tight end Rob Gradkowski) in the second half that I thought changed the complexion of that half.”

All valid points. Then there were the players missing because of injuries. Roethlisberger headed the list, but the Steelers are clearly missing defensive end Cam Heyward as well.

Ryan Shazier returned, but did not distinguish himself, and Antonio Brown was in and out of the second half with a bruised thigh.

Tomlin was hardly blameless. He called for a challenge on a catch that was clearly legal, wasting a time out.

More egregious was his decision to try a 54-yard field goal with nine minutes left in the second half and the Steelers trailing by 11.

It was fourth-and-3, and Tomlin called on Chris Boswell to attempt the kick that would have made it a one-possession game. Boswell’s kick was not only wide right, it was extremely wide right.

Even more troubling was Tomlin’s post-game assertion that he never considered trying to make the first down.

Tomlin said, “(Boswell) made a similar kick over a year ago right in that same spot, (and) on the same field when we tried him out, and the weather conditions were worse than they were tonight. We were down there, we had an opportunity to make it a one-score game, and I took that chance.”

It was a bad gamble, and one he probably wouldn’t have taken had Roethlisberger been in the game.

It was a teaser of a game that always seemed to be within reach, yet the Steelers could never quite get close enough or establish enough momentum to mount a serious comeback.

They couldn’t get pressure on Brady. They had no sacks, and when Brady has time, he’s going to be efficient. LeGarrette Blount, whom the Patriots gladly signed after the Steelers exiled him in 2014, ran hard and wound up with 127 yards. It was the second straight week that opponents ran effectively.

The Steelers remain in first place in the AFC North, and now they have a week to regroup and maybe heal some of the injuries.

Their next game, at Baltimore on Nov. 6, kicks off a stretch that has them on the road for three of four.

They’re going to need to be appreciably better than they were on Sunday.

Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com

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