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Ben Roethlisberger returns to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs on Sunday night. He’s hoping that’s the place the Pittsburgh Steelers will rediscover how to consistently reach the end zone.The Steelers http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-frank-ragnow-jersey , who face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, have won their last two games despite settling for field goals far too much for Roethlisberger’s taste. That’s been a season-long problem for Pittsburgh, which ranks 30th in red-zone efficiency. It has scored touchdowns on only 42.3 percent of possessions after reaching the opponent’s 20-yard line.Pittsburgh (5-2) has still managed to build a two-game lead in the AFC North.“There’s a lot of resilience,” Roethlisberger said. “The defense is playing really good football. Offense hasn’t played up to our potential yet but we’re still winning football games. We’re doing just enough to get by right now. I’d like to think the last two weeks have been good, positive steps forward for our offense and hopefully we continue that.”Roethlisberger has bounced back from a dreadful five-interception performance against Jacksonville in victories over Kansas City and Cincinnati. He’s thrown three touchdown passes while getting picked off only once.He’ll need to be careful against a Lions’ defense that’s forced 14 turnovers — third-most in the league — including nine interceptions.“They’re very opportunistic, a lot of turnovers,” Roethlisberger said. “Balls are tipped and they catch them. Doesn’t seem like a ball that’s in the air ever hits the ground.”Roethlisberger was walking on air early in his career when he won the first of his two Super Bowls at Ford Field. The Steelers defeated Seattle 21-10 on Feb. 5, 2006 during his second season. Roethlisberger, who also won a regular-season game there in November 2009, always gets a special feeling when he sees the building.“Before the game Womens Nick Bellore Jersey , it will bring back a lot of great memories and thoughts, walking out there and driving up to the stadium,” he said. “But once the game starts, I’m solely focused on this game.”Disgruntled receiver Martavis Bryant has shined an unpleasant spotlight on himself this week. He said Wednesday that he’ll be benched Sunday after publicly asking for a trade. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called Bryant’s actions “somewhat of a distraction.”“It’s OK to want more playing time and want to be a central reason why we’re successful, provide you relay that in an appropriate way,” Tomlin said. “Social media is not the appropriate way.”Rookie Juju Smith-Schuster will likely start in his place.The Lions (3-3) lost to Carolina and New Orleans in their last two outings.“I don’t make a whole lot of pronouncements about who’s doing what. All I talk about is where we are as a team and right now as a team we’re very inconsistent,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “We’re 3-3 and that’s not good enough.”Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns but was also picked off three times in the 52-38 loss to the Saints. He toughed it out despite suffering hamstring and ankle injuries the previous week against the Panthers.Detroit’s bye week came at a good time for Stafford and his equally battered offensive line.“I needed to take care of myself physically and mentally refresh, get away for a little bit and think about something other than football for a couple days,” Stafford said.The break also came at a good time for his receiving corps. Top wideout Golden Tate, who’s dealing with a shoulder injury Womens Marvin Jones Jr Jersey , practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. Rookie Kenny Golladay, who missed the last three games with a hamstring issue, also returned to practice.“Guys had some stuff to take care of, start feeling a little bit better,” Stafford said. “Some guys have turned that corner and that will help us. And then from on the field stuff, we’ve got to go out there and just play sharper. We’ve got to execute our systems a little bit better and find ways to win games.”Stafford will continue to get beaten up if the running game doesn’t perk up. The Lions rank 26th at 84 rushing yards per game. In contrast, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, a former Michigan State star, is averaging 97.7 yards.On the injury front, Lions offensive tackle Greg Robinson (ankle) is a question mark but punter Sam Martin is expected to make his season debut after recovering from an ankle injury.Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) Womens Miles Killebrew Jersey , tight end Vance McDonald (knee) and defensive end Stephon Tuitt (back) are the Steelers’ biggest injury concerns. Welp. I just don’t know what to say anymore about this team. Earlier in the week after the Lions suffered a hosing at the hands of the Green Bay REFS Packers, I wrote that, however the Lions responded after that debacle would be what would ultimately be what defined their season. Well, they responded with a 42-30 loss to a division rival for a third straight loss. As always, I have thoughts on this game. These are those thoughts. Lions defense was completely non existentSomehow this team has been able to somehow perform really well against some of the league’s best quarterbacks, but came out and laid an egg against a middle-tier guy like Kirk Cousins. Look, I’m not gonna take anything away from Cousins. He’s been absolutely balling these last few weeks and Sunday was no different. He was a whiz when it came to play action passes and the Lions bit every single time. Cousins went 24-34 for 337 yards and fourtouchdowns and completed 70.6% of his passes.The reason for that is probably because Dalvin Cook was unstoppable all day. He finished the day with 142 yards and two touchdowns. We knew the Lions would have trouble stopping the Vikings run game, but all hope for that was swiftly shut down when Cook continued to beat this defense up for his fifth 100-yard game of the season. The Lions have a chance for their defense to rebound, as their next two opponents (Giants, Raiders) feature offenses that are currently struggling. But allowing Cousins to pass deep to Stefon Diggs late in a game when you have three timeouts and a chance to get the ball back just isn’t going to cut it anymore.The Vikings sealed the game two plays later with another touchdown. Who are the Lions? They’re many things Womens Devon Kennard Jersey , but I’m not sure a good team is one of them anymore. I can’t harp on it enough. The Lions really needed to prove themselves on Sunday after what happened on “Monday Night Football.” They didn’t. They also needed to prove they could beat a good football team. They didn’t do that either. So with 10 games left and the Lions sitting now at the bottom of the NFC North, is it time to start thinking about next year? Worse yet, is it time to start wondering about this coaching staff and even the man that runs the team, GM Bob Quinn. The Lions really need to get things turned around as soon as possible. But there was thisThe Lions didn’t win the game. But I’m not going to ignore what Marvin Jones did on Sunday. There is just something about this guy when he plays against the Vikings. I just can’t explain it. Jones went off with 10 receptions for 93 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those came against Xavier Rhodes. The last touchdown caused Rhodes to throw his helmet to the ground in anger and frustrated. I get it. I used to be frustrated when I couldn’t beat my dad at things too. Then I turned 15. Matthew Stafford’s big day at workAgain, the Lions didn’t win. But they did get another good performance from their quarterback. Stafford went 30-45 for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Oh yeah, he also became the quickest quarterback to reach 40,000 career passing yards. Stafford may never get to hoist the Lombardi Trophy or win an MVP award, but the record books will have his name all over them. Let’s just hope someday I’ll be wrong about those two other things. Injury bug always bites hardLet me preface this by saying that all injuries are bad. But the Lions always seem to have the game changing injuries rather than losing a guy who plays special teams or a number four receiver. The Lions lost Kerryon Johnson and Darius Slay on Sunday for who knows how long. Even if it’s just one game, the Lions can’t really afford it right now being under .500. Throw on top of that the fact that Da’Shawn Hand has yet to play a game this season and you have trouble going forward, even if the Lions schedule lightens up. Speaking of lightening upThe Lions can’t do it. There’s 10 games left now and while the Lions will have some easier teams to play against like the Giants Kerryon Johnson Jersey , Raiders, Bucs, Washington and the Broncos, they can afford no slip-ups now. The hopes of winning the NFC North are likely dashed again. I’m sorry to say it. I just don’t see how the Lions can catch the Packers being four games back and also having to compete with a Vikings team that just dropped 42 points on them and a Bears team that might be good too. Right now the Lions have to focus on making the playoffs and they’re pretty much going to have to win eight of the next 10 games to just get a chance to do it. After seven week and Sunday’s performance, my usual optimism is waning pretty hard. I’m sure I’m not alone there. Anyways, I always end this thing with a song I think reflects this game. So here’s this one.