The defeated the on Wednesday, but seldom was heard an encouraging word from coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback immediately after the game. Tomlin, whose team became the 13th team to start 11-0 during the Super Bowl era, Abdel Nader Jersey said his team put forth a "junior varsity" performance against Baltimore. Roethlisberger, while he was a little more subtle, also acknowledged that the Steelers, starting with himself, were not up to their level of standards during Wednesday's 19-14 win over a Ravens team that was mi sing a host of players due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Roethlisberger also acknowledged how challenging the past few days had been for himself and his teammates, who had their game with Baltimore rescheduled two times before it was finally played on Wednesday, six days after the game was initially scheduled to kick off. Roethlisberger said that he would immediately begin preparations for Washington, Pittsburgh's next opponent which will come to town with a two-game winning streak in toe. The Steelers, who will host Washington on Monday, will then face the 8-3 in Buffalo, as Pittsburgh will play three games over a 12-day span."We have a couple of hours, then we have our second game, doubleheader, whatever we have," Roethlisberger told NBC Sports after the game before he elaborated on the team's schedule challenges during his postgame media availability. "This is a mental game, and this has been a very mentally challenging and draining week. But we need to be able to step onto the football field and play good football when it's time."The Steelers' challenging week appeared to hinder their effectivene s on Wednesday night. In all three phases, the Steelers made uncharacteristic mistakes that they largely avoided during their 10-0 start. They were just 1 of 4 in the red zone that included a red zone interception in the end zone. Pittsburgh's red zone woes were also the result of several dropped pa ses by the Steelers' receivers. Defensively, the Steelers allowed a 39-yard run and a 70-yard touchdown pa s from to . Pittsburgh's special teams suffered a muffed punt and a mi sed extra point.Among the players that did play well Wednesday was third-year receiver , whose allowed Russell Westbrook Jersey the Steelers to run out the clock."James Washington is a guy that is getting on the field and needs to get on the field more," Roethlisberger said. "But it's not because anybody's not doing good, it's just because he's a player that can make plays. We always talk about guys staying fresh, and we need to rotate guys and get him on the field. Because he's hungry and he wants to be out there and make plays for us."While every NFL season presents a series of challenges, the 2020 season has offered a unique set of challenges as it is occurring during a global pandemic. And while the Steelers (who have twice had their schedule impacted by COVID-19 team outbreaks) have maintained a perfect record to this point, Roethlisberger knows that he and his teammates will have to increase their level of focus if Pittsburgh is to continue to rise to the challenges that exist during a season that is, and will continue to be, unlike any that proceeded it."It's been a very challenging last few days," Roethlisberger said. "At the end of the day we won the game, and so we can be thankful for that, but it has not been easy. Like I said in the postgame, I thanked the commi sioner and Baltimore for moving the game so we didn't have to play in a snowstorm yesterday, but we have to be prepared in another short week against a football team coming in that's playing well. We'll go home and start preparing tonight." Jerami Grant Jersey