PITTSBURGH Steelers looking up at the Bengals

Ben Roethlisberger says he'll play Sunday in Cincinnati.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger can't get healthy soon enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After one of the worst games in club history by a quarterback, the Steelers (3-2) find themselves in a much more precarious situation in the AFC North then they would have envisioned when the season started.
Season-long leaders while going 15-1 a year ago, the Steelers head into Sunday's game at Cincinnati knowing that a loss would drop them two games behind the Bengals (5-1) -- the Bengals!
It's hardly a must-win game, as the Steelers will have 10 games remaining after this weekend, but they could find themselves trying to play catchup for weeks if they don't win.
Of course, the Steelers wouldn't be in this situation if they hadn't given away a game Sunday to the Jaguars.
Backup quarterback Tommy Maddox threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in the 23-17 overtime loss that the Steelers were still struggling to comprehend Monday.
Turnovers in OT
It's how they lost that hurt the most, with Maddox losing a fumble in overtime with the offense already within range of a game-winning field goal, then throwing a poorly thrown pass into coverage that cornerback Rashean Mathis returned for the game-winning touchdown.
The Steelers wouldn't say it was a game they would have won with Roethlisberger, who hasn't been intercepted this season.
But it was obvious many of them felt that way, and no doubt many players weren't happy when Maddox blamed everything and everyone but himself for his poor play.
"There's no specific play that lost the game. Any time you lose and you lose in the dramatic way like we lost, and we had an opportunity to win, you're frustrated about just losing, period," safety Chris Hope said Monday. "It's hard enough to win a game in the NFL every Sunday, but the games you feel like you should definitely win, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth."
Big Ben's promise
Roethlisberger is promising he will play Sunday against the Bengals, who have beaten the Steelers only twice in their last 10 meetings. What may long be asked is whether he could have played Sunday.
Roethlisberger warmed up as usual before the game, throwing long passes and moving around in an imaginary pocket, but couldn't convince coach Bill Cowher to play him only six days after the quarterback's left knee was hyperextended during a 24-22 win at San Diego.
No doubt Roethlisberger won't have much trouble convincing Cowher he's ready to play this week.
"He's a big part of our football team, and I know he was frustrated he wasn't able to play," tight end Heath Miller said. "I'm sure he'll be back and will be a big help to us."
Asked if Roethlisberger's value to the team was further enhanced by how poorly Maddox played, Hope said, "He's our starting quarterback, and he's proven how important he is to the team. He's only lost two games since he's been the starter and that speaks for itself."
Expensive loss
What the Steelers don't know yet is how costly the Jaguars loss will be.
They've already lost one more game than they did last season, when they needed all 15 wins to maintain home field advantage over the Patriots (14-2) -- not that it mattered when the Patriots won the AFC title in Pittsburgh.
Sunday's loss could wind up being much like the Steelers' 24-6 upset loss to Houston in 2002, when they outgained the Texans 422-47 at Heinz Field only to lose when Maddox had two interceptions and a fumble returned for touchdowns.
Sound familiar?
The Steelers made the playoffs at 10-5-1 that season, but the Houston loss ultimately cost them home-field advantage for the second round of the playoffs. That proved critical when they lost to the Titans on the road 34-31 in overtime -- a game they would have played in Pittsburgh if they had beaten Houston.
"If you leave the games you have won or had every opportunity to win on the field, you can't get them back," Hope said.
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