Mark Madden: Shortcomings piling up for Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers offense

They don’t award a trophy for starting the season 11-0.

That’s too bad, because the Steelers have zero chance at the Lombardi Trophy. It would be nice to win something.

For those who didn’t know better, the Steelers had big buzz at 11-0. But those who did know better (ahem) have been vindicated over the past month and especially these past two games.

The Steelers are a spent force. Their problems are great, and they are many.

In brief, the Steelers stink.

It’s a short, quick fall from 11-0 to stinking noticeably. Although plenty have noticed: #OneAndDone was trending on Twitter on Sunday night after a 26-15 loss to the Bills. Ex-NFL coach Rex Ryan said on ESPN the Steelers can’t beat anybody in the playoffs the way they’re playing. He’s right.

Specifically, the way Ben Roethlisberger is playing.

Roethlisberger knows it. He always is self-critical after a loss by way of taking heat off his teammates, but his postgame comments Sunday night reeked of resignation and legit frustration. Roethlisberger even teased retirement if he can’t play better.

If Roethlisberger can’t, nobody should try to stop him.

He provided the game’s turning point on a silver platter: Taron Johnson’s 51-yard pick-6 with 52 seconds left in the first half. It turned a 7-3 halftime lead into a 9-7 deficit, visibly and utterly demoralizing a Steelers defense that had battled like it was on Iwo Jima.

But it wasn’t just a matter of one bad play.

Roethlisberger can’t throw long. His deep ball floats. So do a lot of his intermediate throws. Whether it’s his surgically reconstructed elbow, age, his bum knee or all of the above, Roethlisberger can’t rifle the ball. He pushes it.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen, by contrast, brandished a howitzer. He’s the new Ben, or maybe the old Ben, but the original Ben isn’t that Ben.

The Steelers’ offense seems to do only what Roethlisberger wants.

But perhaps it’s doing only what Roethlisberger can. Maybe quick-release popgun soft-toss is all Roethlisberger has left.

Roethlisberger made himself an NFL MVP candidate through guile and winning. Now the former has worn off, and the latter has stopped.

It’s a horrible offense. Predictability has skimmed off all the precision, and what’s left is a bad flag football offense.

It has no physicality. No running game. No play-action. It uses too much shotgun. The deception injected by quarterbacks coach Matt Canada rarely is used. Foes have to defend a 10-yard field. The unfocused receivers keep dropping balls. The offensive line is rotten.

Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is Roethlisberger’s hand-picked flunky. That’s fine until it doesn’t work. But could any coordinator fix this, even given autonomy? Probably not.

The offense has soiled the sheets. The defense’s bedpan can’t handle the overflow.

The latter unit has been crippled for the season by losing Devin Bush and Bud Dupree. Temporary absences like Joe Haden, Vince Williams and Robert Spillane have done further damage. It’s still a solid defense, but much easier to deal with.

Cam Heyward ran amok in the first half, but Buffalo neutralized him in the second. T.J. Watt was a minimal factor all night.

Now, when foes look at the Steelers’ defense, they can size up the job. The focus can be narrowed. Marcus Allen, Ulysses Gilbert, Alex Highsmith, etc., don’t merit concern, let alone create worry.

After the Steelers pulled to within 23-15 early in Sunday’s fourth quarter, Buffalo waltzed down the field to get the clinching field goal: 11 plays, 61 yards, 4:11. It was easy. As the Steelers eye a third straight late-season collapse, the script is familiar: The defense can’t undo the sins of the offense.

Never before has 11-2 meant less. It’s about what you are right now.

Right now, the Steelers stink. If you know how to dig them out, call Mike Tomlin. He has no clue. That’s no knock on him. It’s just a hopeless situation.

Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl winner, a lock to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame and worthy of all the respect that can be mustered.

But if Roethlisberger can rebound from his recent performances and whatever else troubles him, it would be a more dramatic comeback than playing again after having three tendons reattached in his throwing elbow. His problems are great, and they are many.