Ben Roethlisberger: Steelers Offense Has 'Plenty of Room' to Improve After Loss

After the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first loss of the season Monday at the hands of the Washington Football Team, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave an assessment of the offense that put up under 20 points for the second week in a row.

"We're not great on offense right now," he said, per Jenna Harner of WPXI TV. "We're not bad. We're a little above average, B or B-minus. There's plenty of room for improvement." 

Roethlisberger threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the 23-17 loss to Washington, one week after tossing just one scoring pass in a 266-yard performance against the Baltimore Ravens. 

In actuality, the Steelers offense doesn't exactly live up to Roethlisberger's assessment. Through 11 games, Pittsburgh averaged a total of 346.5 yards per game, ranking 12th-worst in the league. While the team's passing offense is in the middle of the pack, with 247.5 yards per game (15th), its running game leaves much to be desired, with just 99.1 yards per game, ranking seventh-worst. 

Monday's loss was historic for Roethlisberger, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The Steelers entered Week 13 109-1-1 when leading by at least 14 points in regular season or playoff games since drafting the quarterback in 2004. 

The Steelers held a 14-0 lead late in the second quarter but allowed Washington to tie the game at 17 with 9:09 to go. Then, two field goals from Dustin Hopkins—the latter of which came after an interception from former Steeler Jon Bostic—sealed the win for 5-7 Washington.

Roethlisberger and his offense will face another test on Sunday against the 9-3 Buffalo Bills.