Ben Roethlisberger: Loss to New York Jets Not on Justin Bieber

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is not blaming pop star Justin Bieber’s visit to team chapel service for the Steelers’ 20-13 loss to the New York Jets on Nov. 9.

Ben Roethlisberger insists Justin Bieber is not the reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New York Jets on Sunday.

This was what Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, said during The Cook and Poni Show on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday:

“Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says the loss to the New York Jets was a team loss, and not because of Justin Bieber.

“Roethlisberger joined The Cook and Poni Show on 93.7 The Fan for the #1 Cochran Ben Roethlisberger Show which airs every Tuesday morning at 11 am during the Steelers season.

“After two great wins over the Colts and Ravens, the Steelers fell into the trap game with a 20-13 loss to the New York Jets, who were (1-8) going into the game.

“‘It’s tough. It’s frustrating,’ Roethlisberger said. ‘Obviously when we win the last couple of weeks we’ve had full team effort and we’ve done good things and this was a complete team loss.’ 

“Roethlisberger said that all of the players and coaches share in the blame for this one. 

“‘It was not our best effort,’ Roethlisberger said. 

“Ben laughed off the idea that Justin Bieber showing up at the team’s bible study the night before had anything to do with the loss. 

“‘That’s not a big deal at all,’ Roethlisberger said. ‘For instance Plaxico Burress stopped by. Obviously he is family. He is a Steeler and stuff like that. People stop by all of the time and want to say hi. We’ve had other athletes, other celebrities, actors and actresses. It’s not a big deal at all.’

“Roethlisberger said that the game was not as bad as it looked when they reviewed it on film, saying it was just a matter of a few mishaps at the worst possible times.

“‘It was a couple of plays that weren’t made for whatever reason,’ Roethlisberger said. ‘Timing was off a bit, depths were off, protection was off, catches, just little things here and there. It wasn’t anything glaring. It was just particular plays at particular moments.’ 

“Ben told the guys that they knew going into the game that the New York Jets were a better team than their (1-8) record would indicate. He said they had been in almost every game but were losing because they were turning the ball over. Sunday, those turnovers went the Jets’ way instead of going against them.

“‘Steeler fans remember at the beginning of last year we turned the ball over a lot which usually leads to a bad record,’ Roethlisberger said. ‘Sunday they didn’t turn the ball over and we did and that usually can dictate the outcome of the game. We take it for what it is and we move on.'”  

ICYMI: The Steelers got an unexpected guest at their Bible study (pic via @bgradkowski5): http://t.co/4euk16b3v1 pic.twitter.com/gtFvgFgMdx— SundayNight Football (@SNFonNBC) November 9, 2014

For his part, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin agrees with Roethlisberger’s assessment, per The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac:

“Coach Mike Tomlin said the Steeler’s penchant for losing to bad teams is not a mental issue and, in the most recent case, more about having two star players commit four turnovers against the New York Jets. 

“Tomlin said it has been uncommon for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to throw two interceptions and NFL receiving leader Antonio Brown to lose two fumbles, but that’s what happened Sunday in the Steelers’ 20-13 loss against the Jets.

“Roethlisberger had only three interceptions before the Jets game and had not thrown two in a game since the 2013 season finale. Brown is one of the sure-handed players on the team.

“‘I’m sure we can bounce around a myriad of things…but I tend to focus on what’s tangible, and on Sunday we turned the ball over and didn’t get any,’ Tomlin said. ‘When those things happen, you have a tough time winning football games.’

“It was the second loss this season to a team that had one of the worst records in the league. Since the start of the 2012 season, the Steelers have lost seven games to teams whose combined record at the time they played was 9-36 — a .200 win percentage.

“The Steelers will get another one of those teams Monday night when they play the Tennessee Titans (2-7), who have lost six of their past seven games, in Nashville, Tenn.”  

For more of the hottest sports news, log on to Sport Balla today.