Steelers must find way to win

Pittsburgh needs wins in its final four games to gain the final playoff berth.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- With hope for a home playoff game all but gone, the Steelers must turn their attention to a simpler task -- winning a game.
Consecutive road losses to the Ravens and Colts plus Sunday's crushing defeat to the Bengals at Heinz Field have the Steelers in a much different position from last year's team that clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Instead, the Steelers are scheming to find a way to earn the AFC's final wild card berth.
"We have to pick up the pieces tomorrow," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said after Sunday's 38-31 defeat that has them two games behind the Bengals in the AFC North.
No longer in control
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw three touchdown passes and as many interceptions, said, "We don't control our own destiny. That's not the best way to be, but that's the way it is."
With four games to play, the Steelers (7-5) need wins to remain in the hunt for the conference's final postseason berth as they trail the Bengals (9-3) by two. The Jaguars (9-3) lead the AFC wild card race.
Because the Steelers and Bengals split their regular season games and Cincinnati has only one loss in the division, the Bengals can clinch their first AFC North title (and first division crown since 1990) next Sunday with a win over the Browns (4-8) and a Steelers' loss to the Bears (9-3).
Desperate situation
A three-game losing streak has turned the Steelers, a playoff team three of the past four seasons and hosts for the AFC Championship Game twice since 2001, from contenders to desperate.
"We've got to take it one game at a time and not worry mathematically about how we're going to get into the playoffs," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. "We've got to worry about next week [because] we've got another great team coming here."
Sunday, the Steelers will play the Chicago Bears (9-3), whose stingy defense has them leading the NFC North Division.
"We've put ourselves behind the eight ball -- we can't worry about how others are doing," Ward said. "The season is not over and that's how we've got to approach it."
Sunday's loss began with the Steelers and Bengals exchanging two touchdowns (a Jerome Bettis 1-yard run and Quincy Morgan's 25-yard reception for the Steelers, T.J. Houshmandzadeh's 43-yard and Reggie Kelly's 1-yard receptions for the Bengals).
Brian Simmons intercepted Roethlisberger at midfield and a 15-yard penalty on Antwaan Randle El for a low block set up Palmer's 6-yard toss to Houshmandzadeh for a 21-14 lead.
Jeff Reed's 23-yard field goal as the first half expired kept the Steelers within four.
After Shayne Graham's 30-yard field goal opened the third-quarter scoring, Morgan returned the kickoff 34 yards. Willie Parker's 17-yard run set up Roethlisberger's 20-yard touchdown pass to a falling Ward for the tying points.
"There's no question -- we have to bounce back," Roethlisberger said. "If anybody is questioning themselves, they don't need to be out here.
"I think this team will bounce back strong, hopefully stronger than ever," Roethlisberger said. "We have a lot of guys dinged up and we've got to come through that, find a way to play through the pain, myself included."
williams@vindy.com