Ben Roethlisberger told everyone during the week to relax and take a deep breath.
It’s now time to call for the oxygen.
The Steelers lost their third game in a row, failed to clinch the AFC North title that appeared to be in their back pocket and looked like a team that will have nothing more than a cup of coffee in the postseason after an embarrassing 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
The loss dropped the Steelers (11-3) into the No. 3 seed in the AFC, behind the Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) and Buffalo Bills (11-3), and allowed the Cleveland Browns (10-4) to creep within a game of first place in the AFC North.
It was a dreadful performance all the way around by the Steelers, who had won the past 11 games and 14 of the past 15 meetings with the Bengals (3-10-1). In particular, it was another woeful display by the offense, which turned the ball over three times in the first half — twice by Roethlisberger — that the Bengals turned into 17 points.
But it was equally disturbing performance by the defense, which allowed the Bengals to rush for 152 yards and score more than half as many points as they managed in the previous five games combined (50). The Steelers hadn’t lost at Paul Brown Stadium since 2013.
The Steelers had one final chance to tie the game with 2:17 remaining, but Roethlisberger threw four consecutive incompletions, the last when he was hit by defensive end Carl Lawson, to put a fitting end to a horrific showing.
The Steelers looked as though they might turn everything around four plays after halftime when Roethlisberger, who had 19 yards passing in the first half, threw a 23-yard touchdown to Diontae Johnson to cut the deficit to 17-7. The touchdown was set up one play earlier on a 37-yard catch-and-run by Chase Claypool.
And they gained even more momentum when they cut the lead to 17-10 in a 35-yard field goal by Chris Boswell on their next possession. Boswell has never missed a kick (31 field goals, 21 extra points) against the Bengals.
But the Bengals stopped the surge when third-team quarterback Ryan Finley, making just his fourth NFL start, ran untouched for a 23-yard touchdown to put the lead at 24-10 with 11:21 remaining.
The Steelers went 75 yards on 14 plays on the ensuing possession to score on a 1-yard run by Benny Snell to get back to 24-17 with 5:32 remaining. The touchdown was set up when Bengals cornerback William Jackson was called for pass interference on Johnson on fourth-and-4 at the Bengals 12.
Snell, who started for injured James Conner (quad), rushed for 84 yards on 18 carries, pumping some life into a running game that hadn’t managed more than 50 yards in five of the previous seven games.
Finley, who ran for 47 yards on 10 carries, was stopped for a 1-yard loss by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on third-and-3 with 2:23 remaining, giving the Steelers a chance to come back and tie the game.
The Steelers went three-and-out on their first five possessions and didn’t managed their initial first down until early in the second quarter, and only because coach Mike Tomlin elected to go on fourth-and-1 at their own 44 on their sixth possession.
The Steelers had 24 yards of offense and Roethlisberger was 5 of 13 for minus-2 yards by the time the Bengals had taken a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. He finished the first half 7 of 16 for 19 yards.
A fumbled snap by Roethlisberger, a fumble after a catch by Smith-Schuster and an interception by Roethlisberger led to all 17 points by the Bengals, who had managed just 14 points in their previous two games.
It started when Roethlisberger never got control of a center snap at his own 19 and Bengals linebacker Josh Bynes recovered the fumble. The Bengals converted that into a 34-yard field goal by Austin Seibert.
Two possessions later, Smith-Schuster fumbled near the midfield logo — the one he dances on in pregame warmups — after a big hit from safety Vonn Bell. The play was originally called an incompletion, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor challenged the play and it was ruled a fumble and recovery by linebacker Jordan Evans at the Steelers’ 38.
Six plays later, running back Giovanni Bernard scored on a 4-yard run and the Bengals had a 10-0 lead. It only got worse.
On third-and-14 from his own 48, Roethlisberger was intercepted by Alexander, who returned the pick 21 yards. A late-hit penalty against tackle Chuks Okorafor moved the ball to the Steelers’ 27.
Three plays later, Finley hit Bernard in front of linebacker Avery Williamson over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead — the Steelers largest deficit of the season.
What’s more, the Steelers lost tight end Eric Ebron (back) and fullback Derek Watt (concussion) in the first half.
