Ben Roethlisberger: Steelers offense is 'not that far off'

Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took 24 hits and eight sacks over the season's first three games, and he's already endured a left pectoral injury as the Steelers sit at 1-2 and look for answers on offense. 

Per ESPN stats, Pittsburgh heads into the Week 4 matchup at the Green Bay Packers 28th in scoring with 16.7 points per game. Things have looked so bleak during contests that head coach Mike Tomlin had to assure fans Tuesday he isn't pressing any "panic button" and is committed to keeping Roethlisberger his starting signal-caller until further notice. 

The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer told reporters Wednesday he believes Pittsburgh's offensive woes are correctable. 

"Football is the ultimate team sport," Big Ben said, according to Teresa Varley of the Steelers' website. "We can sit and look at the performances and we're only as good as our last one. There were a couple plays here, a couple of plays there. Penalties. Missed throws. Missed catches. Whatever it may be that that kind of hurt us."

Roethlisberger continued: 

"I think there's not this one big glaring thing. It's just a little thing here, a little thing there, which I think is why we can be encouraged as an offense that it's not that far off.

"We're a group that is close I believe. We're a group that has to believe in each other, which I think we do. And we're a group that is not going to panic."

He added that he and his teammates need to take more blame and accountability than Tomlin and his staff for Pittsburgh's record and standing in offensive statistical categories. 

That's all well and good, but the Steelers scoring only a pair of touchdowns at Lambeau Field likely won't cut it against Aaron Rodgers and company. If Pittsburgh falls to 1-3, expect to see and hear more discussions about if Tomlin should turn to either backup quarterback Mason Rudolph or former first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins.