Biggest Takeaways from Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 8 Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced a tough test in Week 8, playing host to the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. Though the game was hard-fought, Pittsburgh ultimately fell 16-10, even though it had the services of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first time since he suffered a knee injury in Week 3.

So what did we learn about the Steelers from this game? Here are the biggest takeaways from Pittsburgh's defeat at the hands of the Bengals.

Le'Veon Bell Lost for Season

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Easily the most disturbing development of the Steelers' loss to the Bengals on Sunday was not the final score—it was the Steelers losing running back Le'Veon Bell for the season to a torn MCL suffered in the second quarter.

Bell had rushed 10 times for 45 yards and caught two passes for 13 yards in the game prior to the injury. It was one of the only times he and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had worked together on the field this year. Bell served a two-game suspension to open the season, returning in Week 3 when Roethlisberger suffered an MCL injury of his own.

Now, DeAngelo Williams will serve as the Steelers' starter, a role he held during the first two games of the season. And to round out the running backs corps, the team signed Isaiah Pead on Monday while putting Bell on injured reserve.

Pead, a 2012 second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams, was released by the Rams in late September. In his NFL career, he's totaled 78 yards on 19 carries and 94 yards on 14 receptions. 

While Pead and Williams will be able to hold down the Steelers' rushing fort for the rest of the year, there really is no replacing Bell. It's not just what he brings to the table as a runner that makes him so irreplaceable but also his value as a receiver and blocker. This is a major blow to Pittsburgh's offense.

Ben Roethlisberger Is Rusty

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed the four games leading up to Sunday's meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals after suffering an MCL sprain and bone bruise in Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams. But his return in Week 8 was expected to bring a spark back to Pittsburgh's offense.

However, he looked rusty in his first game back. He completed only 28 of his 45 pass attempts for 262 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He was also knocked around by the Bengals defense, taking three sacks and six additional hits.

His struggles were mostly confined to throws to his top two wide receiver targets, Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown. Bryant caught only four of the nine passes thrown his way for 49 yards, while Brown caught six passes on 11 targets for 47 yards and Roethlisberger's lone passing touchdown.

Though drops (by Bryant, mainly) contributed to Roethlisberger's poor day, it was clear that his throwing was off and that he was pressing passes in what ultimately was a losing effort. His comfort level should rise, though, and it's quite possible he won't repeat Sunday's performance later in the season.

Big Day for the Defense

Don Wright/Associated Press

Pittsburgh's defense had a big day Sunday—perhaps its best performance of the year. The Steelers sacked Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton three times and picked him off twice—and he came into the game having thrown just two interceptions while taking a mere six sacks.

Steve McLendon and Bud Dupree each had a sack, while Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier split one. Cornerback Antwon Blake and safety Mike Mitchell each had interceptions. Pittsburgh's defense also had seven tackles for loss and seven passes defensed and hit Dalton a total of seven times. The Steelers also blocked a Bengals' field-goal attempt.

As such, the Bengals converted only four of their 15 third downs and went 1-of-3 in the red zone. Despite this, Cincinnati still won, but the Steelers managing to hold the Bengals' high-powered offense to 16 points was a moral victory in its own right.

And, most importantly, the Steelers defense is becoming a team strength rather than the weakness it seemed destined to be at the season's start. This could help Pittsburgh become playoff-relevant in the second half of the season.

Need Points off Turnovers

Don Wright/Associated Press

Though Pittsburgh's defense did a good job of getting the Bengals to turn over the football, the offense couldn't turn those turnovers into points. That the Bengals did with Pittsburgh's offensive turnovers made the difference in this game.

Bengals safety Reggie Nelson picked off Ben Roethlisberger twice, with one of the ensuing drives leading to a Bengals field goal. Shawn Williams' interception kicked off a drive capped by an A.J. Green touchdown. 

Meanwhile, Mike Mitchell's interception of Andy Dalton led to the Williams' pick of Roethlisberger. Antwon Blake's interception led to a punt, as did the drive that followed the blocked Bengals' field-goal attempt.

All told, 10 of Cincinnati's 16 points Sunday came from Steelers' turnovers, while Pittsburgh could not generate any points from the turnovers it forced. The multiple positive defensive plays were certainly welcome, but now the Steelers must make something from them in order for them to truly matter.

The Return of Heath Miller

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

One Steelers player benefited from the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger—tight end Heath Miller.

Miller had been all but non-existent in Pittsburgh's passing game in Roethlisberger's absence, serving as a blocker rather than a receiver. But Miller reprised his role as Roethlisberger's go-to security blanket against the Bengals, catching 10 passes on 13 targets for 105 yards, his best performance of the year.

Aside from Miller's eight-catch, 84-yard day in Week 1 against the New England Patriots, he hadn't had more than 46 receiving yards in a game before Sunday. But with Roethlisberger back on the field, Miller has returned to all-around relevancy, a good thing given that he will have to take on many of Le'Veon Bell's receiving targets moving forward.