The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their second-straight game in Week 8 when they suffered a 35-25 defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The Steelers still are holding onto the top spot in the AFC North, but they need to get back in the win column soon, and former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger believes he may know the main reason for the team’s struggles.
For the most part, Pittsburgh hasn’t been awful in its recent losses, but it has struggled to put together complete performances. In particular, the second half of games has been a big issue, even in some of their wins this season, and if it keeps up, it could become a real issue for the Steelers moving forward.
If you ask Roethlisberger, there is one thing that has jumped out to him. Simply put, Pittsburgh is either struggling to make or implement adjustments into its game plan on both sides of the ball, which is resulting in them getting jumped in the second half. While he doesn’t truly know what’s going on inside the locker room, Roethlisberger urged the team to improve in this area.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers, when I was there and for as long as I can remember, were one of the best in the world at making halftime adjustments,” Roethlisberger said on his “Footbahlin'” podcast. “As I’m watching these games, it doesn’t feel like the adjustments are being made … The second half of ball games, we stink. I’m just asking a question. Are we making the proper adjustments?”
Whether it falls on the players or the coaches, something isn’t clicking for the Steelers in the second halves of their games this year. The team will be looking to put together a more complete performance in Week 9 when they take on the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
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