Cowher certain Steelers can rebound from slide

Pittsburgh faces its third division leader in three weeks.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers' confidence appears to be as fragile as Ben Roethlisberger's injured right thumb.
Offensive lineman Jeff Hartings said so. Coach Bill Cowher agrees, and he thinks there is only one way to regain the we're-the-team-to beat attitude the Steelers had all last season and, until three weeks ago, all this season.
Start winning, beginning with Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears (9-3), the Steelers' third in as many weeks against a division leader. The Steelers (7-5) have lost three in a row and are in danger of not making the playoffs a season after being the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
"Confidence is a very fragile thing, and it certainly is something that has to start with your mental approach and your ability to respond and stay focused and not allow negative thoughts to enter into your own mind," Cowher said. "When you're successful, it's easier to expect success. All of a sudden it's not there, it becomes more of a challenge."
Not doing little things
To Cowher, the Steelers' biggest problem is they've suddenly started doing all the things that losing teams do -- turning the ball over, committing a lot of penalties, not finishing plays. That's why he held a Monday team meeting for the first time in weeks and asked each player to candidly evaluate his play.
"It wasn't a fun Monday, and I didn't want it to be," Cowher said. "We have to correct some things that are very correctable, and do it with a sense of urgency. It was not the best of atmospheres, and it shouldn't be. I don't want them to get used to losing. I don't want them to like coming in here on Mondays after a loss."
The numbers don't lie
Normally, Cowher isn't one to spew statistics to make a point, but he said the breakdowns that have occurred the last three weeks are easily measurable.
After being the NFL's least-penalized team for nine weeks, with an average of about five penalties a game, they averaged 10 during the consecutive losses to the Ravens, Colts and Bengals. During Sunday's pivotal 38-31 loss to AFC North leader Cincinnati, they had two penalties for 15 yards and allowed a sack on a failed last drive that begin with slightly less than 2 1/2 minutes to go at their own 26 and ended with them back at their 23.
The Steelers also are minus-5 in takeaways over the last three games after being plus-10 through nine games. They had four turnovers Sunday, three interceptions and a fumble, while the Bengals had none in beating the Steelers for the eighth time in their last 28 games.
Cowher also pointed to a glaring falloff in special teams play during the three losses. The Cincinnati game swung on Tab Perry's 94-yard kickoff return early in the second half, which came seconds after the Steelers tied it at 24. Rudi Johnson scored from the 1 about a minute later, and the Bengals never gave back the lead or the momentum.
"And when we've played well on offense, we haven't played well on defense," said Cowher, who hasn't ruled out making personnel changes for the Bears. "We haven't been able to put together a complete game."
Tough opponent
They'll need one against the Bears, who have won eight in a row behind a defense that has allowed the fewest yards and the fewest points in the league.
Roethlisberger, who threw for a career-high 383 yards against the Bengals despite a badly injured right thumb, is listed as probable. Cowher didn't deny Roethlisberger's thumb is broken, but he also wouldn't confirm it.
"I'm not going to get into details, because it wouldn't serve any purpose," he said. "He's playing, so what difference does it make?"
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