Silver Lining in Steelers' Week 7 Loss: Ben Roethlisberger Returns in Week 8

It was obviously going to be a tough test for Pittsburgh Steelers third-string quarterback Landry Jones in Week 7, having to stare down a strong Kansas City Chiefs pass rush with two-fifths of his offensive line populated by backups, as well. 

With Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle (who would likely have been Pittsburgh's No. 3 at the position had Mike Adams not undergone back surgery in the summer) and Cody Wallace at center, Sunday's meeting with the Chiefs had the potential to be ugly. 

It certainly wasn't a dominant performance by the Pittsburgh offense. Jones ended his day completing 16 of his 29 pass attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, a lost fumble and two sacks taken in the 23-13 loss.

Though he did manage to connect on a score to receiver Martavis Bryant and give Antonio Brown his best performance (six catches on eight targets for 124 yards) since starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a knee injury in Week 3, it was clear he's not quite ready to take command of an NFL offense just yet.

Week	Atts.	Comp.	Comp.%	Yds.	TD	INT	Sack	Fum.
vs. ARI	12	8	66.7%	168	2	0	0	0
@ STL	29	16	55.2%	209	1	2	2	1

One of Jones' turnovers—an interception earned by Chiefs safety Eric Berry after a tipped pass intended for Brown—led to running back Charcandrick West scoring a third-quarter touchdown that put Kansas City up, 16-3.

Jones' other interception mercifully led to the Chiefs missing a 54-yard field goal. Meanwhile, two fourth-quarter sacks allowed by Villanueva (the final of which led to Jones' fumble), kept the Steelers from mounting a late comeback.

The good news, though, is that this is the final week that the Steelers have to deal with someone other than Roethlisberger under center. Head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that the "team will try to move forward next week" with their Pro Bowl quarterback back in the fold:

Even better news—for the superstitious among us—is that the Steelers will be donning their 1934 striped throwback uniforms against the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. As Steelers' public relations spokesman Burt Lauten noted, when the Steelers wore them in Week 8 of last season against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger threw for 522 yards and six touchdowns:

It was not just Jones' performance that led to Pittsburgh losing on Sunday, of course. The defense also carried blame, especially on the Chiefs' fourth-quarter scoring drive that saw big gains by tight end Travis Kelce and West to set up receiver Chris Conley's six-yard score. 

Prior to that drive, the Steelers were down by a manageable three points. After it, the Steelers faced a 10-point deficit, and it was too late for them to climb out of it with about five minutes left in the game.

The defense also ceded 110 rushing yards to West on his 22 carries; and three Chiefs players, Kelce, Albert Wilson and Conley, had 73, 71 and 63 receiving yards, respectively. 

But the benefit of having Roethlisberger on the field is that he can make up for his defense's shortcomings by leading drive after productive drive. He has the best rapport with his offensive teammates of any of Pittsburgh's quarterbacks, and the results on the field reflect that. Every aspect of Pittsburgh's on-field product will be of a higher quality next week with Roethlisberger finally back to active duty.

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

It could be much worse. Right now, the Steelers are 4-3, with two wins and two losses while Roethlisberger has been sidelined. A 4-3 record is far preferable to the 2-5 they easily could have been given how much Roethlisberger means to the team as a whole, not just the offense. And now, they get him back for Week 8 and, knock on wood, for the remainder of the regular season.

It will be much easier to put Sunday's loss behind them knowing that things are about to get much better at the team's most crucial position. That, at least, serves as a silver lining to what was admittedly a disappointing Week 7 loss.