Roethlisberger: Criticism deserved when you 'play like poo'

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hears the criticism of his recent play down the regular season's home stretch and agrees with the assessments.

The critics got louder following a 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, extending the Steelers losing streak to three games.

"I don't blame them," Roethlisberger said Wednesday when asked about his detractors, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "When you play like poo, you should get talked about like that. I need to play better. If I'm not giving them a reason to talk good, then I'm giving them a reason to talk bad. That's all on me. I need to play better."

The Steelers signal-caller struggled Monday, completing 20 of 38 pass attempts for 170 yards, with one touchdown and an interception.

"Truthfully, at the end of the day, that's my determining factor if I play well or not, is are we winning the football game?" he said. "That's all that matters to me. Am I not completing enough passes? Am I getting us in the right play call? There's a myriad of issues, in my opinion, that aren't helping us win the game, and it can be something different all the time."

The running game for the Steelers has also struggled this season. Pittsburgh ranks 31st in the NFL with an average of 88.9 rushing yards per game.

The 38-year-old veteran called a players-only meeting for the offense to get everyone focused ahead of a postseason run.

"Just wanted guys to understand and reiterate how important this time of year is and the playoffs aren't guaranteed to anybody," Roethlisberger said. "It wasn't a players-only panic meeting. ... This was a meeting that we felt was necessary moving forward going into the postseason."

Pittsburgh sits third behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for the AFC's top spot.

The 11-3 Steelers will look to curb their misfortune Sunday when they take on the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field.

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