The Pittsburgh Steelers lost Le’Veon Bell just more than 20 minutes into the game.
And in the moments following Bell clutching his right knee on the Steelers sideline, the contest on the other side of that sideline seemed immaterial in the broader context of the season. In Week 8, Pittsburgh had only just gotten to play with its full fantasy football complement of offensive weapons.
The Steelers were winning by a point, but suffering an emotional loss right n the heels of Ben Roethlisberger’s buoyant return. Then the game- and season-long defeats sunk in as Roethlisberger threw consecutive interceptions to take Pittsburgh from controlling and running out the game, to scrambling to get it back and falling, 16-10 on Sunday at Heinz Field.