Ben said it ...

Last week, you will recall, Ben Roethlisberger said Sunday's game vs. the Saints would be a "must win" game.

The Steelers lost. And it's how they lost that defines this particular defeat and this Steelers team.

The Steelers looked listless and unprepared. That was especially so for the defense, which looked clueless and hapless as the Saints put together four drives of 80 yards or more. The defense had no answer for running back Mark Ingram, who amassed 122 yards on the ground. The Saints had 11 runs that went for at least five yards. Eleven!  Hardly a stout run defense. And the pass rush was negligible, as it allowed Drew Brees ample time to carve up a woeful secondary that featured flailing corners and invisible safeties.

On offense, Roethlisberger was off his game. He missed targets all day long. Roethlisberger threw two interceptions, and New Orleans cornerback Patrick Robinson could have had three more, including one that would have been a pick-six had Robinson secured Roethlisberger's pass right to him early in the first quarter.

Obvious as it was that Roethlisberger was off his game, he still ended up dropping back to pass 59 times (one sack; 58 pass attempts). This, despite the fact that New Orleans was starting its backup nose tackle on a defense that entered the game ranked 23rd in the NFL against the run.

Despite that, and even as it was clear early on that Roethlisberger was off his game ... there he was, trying to fling the ball all over the field -- 58 attempts -- while the Steelers' running backs got just 22 rush attempts. Roethlisberger had more incompletions (26) than the running backs had running plays (22).

Fifty-eight pass attempts vs. 22 running plays.  Something here doesn't make sense.

So, considering that Roethlisberger had stated that it was a "must win" game, and the Steelers lost, where does that leave us?

In the shadow, on the margins, at the dark end of the street, that's where.

Wow!!!

Ben Roethlisberger was on the money all day long.

To say Ben Roethlisberger was at the top of his game is an understatement, if that's possible.

Six touchdown passes; 40-49 for 522 yards passing; a whopping 25 first downs passing; a staggering 639 total net yards offense; 51 points on the board; and Roethlisberger would have had even better stats if not for at least three drops by receivers he hit in stride and on the money. Roethlisberger was spot on from the jump, and he just kept clicking. He took no sacks and threw no interceptions.

Give Todd Haley credit, too. Whatever Haley called worked, and Roethlisberger didn't miss. The Steelers toyed with a Colts' defense that shut out the Cincinnati Bengals just one week before.

Not only did Roethlisberger become the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 500 yards in two separate games, he joined Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to win 100 games in 150 or fewer starts.

Big Play William Gay, scoring on his interception.

Although the Colts put 34 points on the board, the defense played with intensity. William Gay's pick-six was arguably the key defensive play of the day. Also encouraging was the welcome presence and activity of the linebackers: Jason Worilds, James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams and Arthur Moats made their presence felt the entire game. They were visible.

The only blemishes for the Steelers were self-inflicted -- penalties, a couple of fumbles and the ill-conceived pooch punt before the end of the first half. Cortez Allen was exploited for some big plays, but, really, there's not much to complain about in the Steelers' 51-34 win over the Colts.

Before the game, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls said this game would reveal what this team is made of; that this would be a defining game for the 2014 Steelers. The team answered the challenge emphatically. Now they'll want to replicate that intensity and quality of performance, and make it consistent.

Next up: Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field, next Sunday night.

It's All About the Quarterback

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have long wondered why the Steelers don't run more no-huddle offense. For that matter, we have long believed the Steelers should let Ben Reothlisberger call his own plays. Ben seems to be at his improvisational best when he can wing it, so turn him loose. Granted, the running backs might get fewer than 10 carries a game, the offensive line may disintegrate, and Todd Haley may go bald and apoplectic, but what's the worst that can happen? Well, besides that?

Surely Todd Haley knows by now that when he calls plays through the headset that he might as well be ordering a pizza, for all the attention Ben pays to his play calls.

Ben seems more settled now that he's a father, and he seems to be more of a leader, too, at least so far as embracing the role of a leadership persona. Who knows? Turn him loose.

A Snoozefest Win Among Swirling Clouds

The overriding story: It's just more "Ben Drama."

What we learned from Sunday's game: Not much. Buffalo rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel did a lousy impersonation of an NFL quarterback. Manuel's performance gave the Bills no chance to win, and Dick LeBeau's defense was ready. The Black 'n Gold was able to stack the box, stuff the run, and that was it. Manuel looked unprepared, tentative, skittish and scatter-armed.

The game itself, while a relatively non-stressful win for the Steelers, was overshadowed -- of course -- by Ian Rapoport's pre-game report claiming that Ben Roethlisberger let it be known to the Steelers that he would be receptive to the possibility of a trade during the off-season.

Whatever.  Naturally, the denials came swiftly and vehemently from Ben and his "camp."  Who knows? We don't. This is a non-story until it becomes a real story. It's just elevator music, as Mike Tomlin would say. Until the elevator stops.

It's just more Ben drama, and yet another distraction. Where's the Todd Haley angle?

What We Learned We Already Knew

Ben fumbles.

The 2013 Steelers aren't nearly talented enough to play mistake-prone football. The Steelers are a bad football team, but we knew that. 

Against New England, they were non-competitive.

Penalties, interceptions, sacks allowed, a sack-fumble, dropped passes, sloppy tackling, missed assignments, lousy blocking, blown coverage, crummy punting, inability to get off blocks, general confusion, ad nauseum ... the Steelers put it all on ugly display in Sunday's embarrassing 55-31 fiasco in Massachusetts.   

They were steamrollered.

Rob Gronkowski: Wide open, romping and running free.

This game marked a new low. The 55 points allowed were the most in franchise history, and the game wasn't even as close as the lopsided score indicated. 

More than 600 yards allowed; three Patriots' receivers with more than 100 yards each; 198 yards rushing allowed -- it all added up, and the Steelers allowed Tom Brady to complete 29 of 33 passes to compile a perfect passer rating.

The defense was manhandled. Yet again, the Steelers' linebackers were virtually invisible, and their play worsened after rookie Vince Williams left the game with a concussion, not that he had played well beforehand. The Patriots ran play after play to their left side, and the Steelers' defensive players were not up to the job. 

Stevenson Sylvester couldn't get off blocks, Steve McClendon was run over, Lawrence Timmons was spun around, Jarvis Jones looked lost, and LaMarr Woodley was absent. 

They're not good enough.

Danny Amendola: Wide open.

The secondary was run past, through, around and over. Every one of them. Ike Taylor got burnt, William Gay couldn't cover, Troy Polamalu was consistently out of position, Shamarko Thomas was over-matched, and Ryan Clark was slow. 

This game made painfully clear what we suspected: Ryan Clark can't run anymore. He just can't run. He can talk, though.

The offensive line can't block, but we knew that, too. Emmanuel Sanders dropped a pass that hit him between the numbers. Le'Veon Bell dropped two passes, including one that clanged right off his hands, and he clearly missed assignments. 

Jericho Cotchery showed up. Good for him. Antonio Brown made some plays. Cameron Heyward showed some flashes. Heath Miller tried.  

To our untrained eyes, it seemed all the players tried ... mostly, however, they're just not good enough.

Can it get any worse?  Yes. It can always get worse.