Big Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t have time to deal with immature teammates.
Chase Claypool was benched during Thursday night’s 36-28 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after a first-quarter penalty for unnecessary roughness. He later returned but ended up costing the Steelers an extra play on their final drive by celebrating a first down as the clock continued to run.
Following the game, Roethlisberger was asked about Claypool’s antics and gave a blunt response.
“It’s not really my job,” Roethlisberger told reporters when asked if he spoke to Claypool about his celebration. “That goes up to Coach Tomlin.”
Tomlin confirmed he benched Claypool to send a message after the early penalty. He didn’t sound confident the message was received:
Pittsburgh’s loss dropped its record to 6-6-1. The Buffalo Bills hold the last wild-card spot in the AFC at 7-5.
The Steelers face a difficult schedule down the stretch with games against the Tennessee Titans (8-4), Kansas City Chiefs (8-4), Cleveland Browns (6-6) and Baltimore Ravens (8-4), so a win Thursday would have really helped in their quest to secure a playoff bid.
