The Steelers' season has turned into a mess, and it got even messier with Sunday's loss to the previously 2-10 Raiders in Oakland.
If the lasting image of the 2018 season isn't Le'Veon Bell on a jet ski, it will be Chris Boswell slipping on an invisible banana peel and booting a possible game-tying field goal weakly into the back of a lineman.
So many questions from that game made the Ben Roethlisberger Show and Mike Tomlin press conference must-listening Tuesday on the radio.
Here's what we learned: After Roethlisberger's ribs were crushed, he left the field to seek medical treatment. Apparently he, Dr. James Bradley and general manager Kevin Colbert had difficulty finding the x-ray room. Apparently it's three flights of stairs above the locker room level.
When the x-rays were taken, apparently the images were so murky they couldn't really make a proper evaluation. So they apparently gave Roethlisberger a pain-killing injection.
After the game, Tomlin said that Roethlisberger had been medically cleared from to get back in the game. Tomlin also said he hesitated to replace untested Josh Dobbs with his future Hall of Fame quarterback because "we were in a rhythm and flow of the game."
If there was rhythm and/or flow, it was dissonant and muddy. The Steelers were going nowhere with Dobbs in there.
It's possible -- maybe even likely -- that Tomlin felt the Steelers could beat the Raiders without Roethlisberger. If that was the case, it would make sense to keep him on the sideline to protect his injury.
Of course, Tomlin wouldn't admit that because it would disrespect an opponent. But what he said made absolutely no sense. He pretty much admitted that on Tuesday.
The Steelers fell behind, and Roethlisberger said he would go back in the game. He led the team on the drive for the final field goal, and the game should have been headed for overtime. Instead, Boswell was splayed on the slippery turf, and now the Steelers are in a fight for their playoff lives.
There was a lot of explaining to do, and it started Tuesday on the radio.
These are all subjects certain to be revisited if ownership sits down with Tomlin after a non-playoff season.
When it's all over, the Steelers will be charged with improving the defense. It won't be a bit surprising if owner Art Rooney II insists that Tomlin make staff changes, which will start with defensive coordinator Keith Butler heading out.
Special teams coach Danny Smith should update his resume, too.
When you lose games the way the Steelers have for the past three weeks, status quo is no longer an option.
In other Steelers matters:
--The Steelers will bring in other kickers for tryouts this week. They could very well sign one of them and invent an injury to let Boswell watch the last three weeks from the sideline. He can't be trusted in close games right now.
--The running game without James Conner was spectacularly unimpressive. One of the Steelers' biggest personnel mistakes was failing to adequately plan for Bell's season-long absence.
--Remember how Ike Taylor would get his hands on the football, but fail to make interceptions? The Steelers have a whole platoon of defensive players who do that now.
--Back when Rocky Bleier was sweating and getting his brain scrambled on the field, wonder how he would have felt about hearing criticism from a guy who had played for the Steelers 40 years earlier?
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
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