Ben: 'I don't think our window's closed'

Ben Roethlisberger won't play in the postseason this year. The Steelers defeated the Bengals, 16-13, Sunday at Heinz Field, but the Ravens took out the Browns, 26-24, in Baltimore, and that was that.

While this year's Steelers unquestionably underachieved at 9-6-1, the franchise quarterback expressed faith in what's ahead.

"I think we’ve got a good, a really good group," Roethlisberger said after the game. "The lineman, as long as they come back, they’re the core. They’re the strength of this team. If they come back, I’ll be back and feel good."

Boasting Pro Bowlers on offense in Alejandro Villanueva, James Conner, Antonio Brown, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro, Roethlisberger's words hold water. What remains exciting to him, however, is what the future may hold for some names who didn't get the nod to play in Orlando.

"We’ve got guys that just have gotten better," he said. "We got young guys that just keep getting better — guys like JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and, I think, James Conner. Guys are just going to keep getting better, so I don’t think our window’s closed." 

Beyond the team on the field, Roethlisberger also hopes the Steelers maintain continuity with the coaching staff. Despite calls from fans across the globe for the Steelers to shake things up following the team's 9-6-1 run in 2018, Roethlisberger holds a different perspective.

"Any time that you can kind of keep that core group, keep people together… the less turnover, the better, usually," Roethlisberger said. "So from the top down, I think that’s important." 

The Steelers last missed the playoffs in 2013, when they finished 8-8. Since then, the team has one wild card loss, two divisional-round losses, and one AFC Championship defeat. But to many, it's Super Bowl or bust with the Steelers, a fact not lost on Roethlisberger.

"We made the playoffs the last few years, so we’ve been a little spoiled in that sense," Roethlisberger said. "We got a little spoiled because we went to a lot of Super Bowls early, right? So we kind of thought we were going to do it every year or every other year, every third year. It’s not that easy." 

To hear Roethlisberger tell it, next year could be the year. He spoke optimistically of the team's outlook for the 2019 season — but it all depends on one component.

"We keep that line together, that’ll give us a good, fighting chance," Roethlisberger said. 

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY