PITTSBURGH -- The casual brilliance the Pittsburgh Steelers flashed with remarkable ease over the first month of the season -- well, save for three regrettable hours in Philadelphia -- has faded quickly.It tends to happen when the training room looks just as crowded as the locker room.The franchise quarterbacks left knee is aching. The defensive captains hamstring is still tweaked. The right tackles ankle, too. The budding deep threat wide receivers left hand is busted. And Pittsburghs confidence, like it or not, is shaken.Sure the Steelers (4-3) will still be in first place of the underwhelming AFC North when they travel to Baltimore on Nov. 6. It just doesnt feel like it. Consecutive losses to Miami and New England and a mounting injury list to bold-faced names sent Pittsburgh reeling heading into its well-timed bye.Theres plenty of time to get it together.Just got to re-energize, said defensive end Cam Heyward, whose tender hamstring forced him to watch from the sideline as the Dolphins and Patriots ran wild. We have to see the mistakes weve made and I think theres so many things we can work on individually that when we come back collectively, it can benefit all of us. Whether its tackling, whether its ailments or injuries for each player, just technique stuff.Yet the chance to make any sort of early season statement that the Steelers are ready to challenge the Patriots or the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos for AFC supremacy is gone. Yes, the offense wont be the same until Ben Roethlisberger returns from minor knee surgery, but Pittsburghs biggest issue is on the other side of the ball.The Steelers expected to take a step forward after a promising first season under linebackers coach-turned-coordinator Keith Butler, one in which they finished in the top 10 in the league in turnovers and sack, splash plays that took some of the sting out of giving up oodles of yards.Instead, Pittsburgh has taken a step back. The Steelers are tied for last in sacks (eight) and in the middle in takeaways (eight), both far off their 2015 pace. Butler pulled back on the array of blitzes he introduced last season, choosing instead to drop as many men in coverage as possible to take some of the pressure off a secondary littered with young players. When the gameplan works -- as it did in romps over Kansas City and Washington -- the defense is good enough for Pittsburgh to win. When its doesnt work, or when teams opt to pound the ball on the ground as the Patriots and the Dolphins did, the Steelers look like just another team.Its frustrating, Butler said. Were all frustrated at this point in time. We dont like being 4-3 . theres a little frustration there for all of us.There have been pleasant surprises. Running back LeVeon Bell looks as dangerous as ever since returning from a shredded right knee that cut short his 2015 season. Tight ends Jesse James and Xavier Grimble, tasked with replacing Heath Miller and holding the fort until free agent signee Ladarius Green returns to health, have combined for four touchdowns. Backup quarterback Landry Jones hardly looked limited while keeping the Steelers in the game with New England until the fourth quarter. Rookie first-round pick Artie Burns and fellow cornerback Ross Cockrell have been steady.Still, more is required. After a narrow loss to Denver on the road in last years playoffs, the Steelers knew playing home games at Heinz Field for as long as possible was vital. The loss to the Patriots means any shot at homefield advantage is likely already long gone, particularly if Roethlisberger misses another game or two.The quarterback practiced a bit last week and declined to put a timetable on his return, though hes made a habit in his career of willingly playing through considerable pain. He did it in Miami, when he tore cartilage in his left knee and kept on playing long after the matter had already been decided.Given the way Jones played against New England and the current status of the Ravens, theres little incentive to push Roethlisberger too much. The Steelers can move the ball even without their all-time leading passer. They just need to do it all the time instead of in fits and starts, a habit thats popped up regularly in their losses.Its pretty obvious we need to be more consistent game-in and game-out, Haley said. Weve shown were capable of putting up a lot of points when we execute run and pass. In the games we havent, we havent executed the finer details of the game plan.No better time to start than next week.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLFake Royals Jerseys . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Cheap Royals Jerseys . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Kansas City Royals Gear . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Kansas City Royals Shirts . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast.SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Leading jockey Jose Ortiz capped off a memorable afternoon Saturday at Saratoga by notching his fifth victory of the day with a perfectly judged ride aboard Suffused in the $200,000 Glens Falls.Ortiz rated Suffused, who was beaten a head by Guapaza in the Grade 3 Waya four weeks earlier, in mid-pack while saving ground for the opening 1-1/4 miles of the 11-furlong Waya. Suffused angled out for clearance entering the stretch, then finished with good energy out near the center of the course to run down Aries in the final 70 yards.The latter chased pacesetter Photo Call through modest fractions, overtook the tiring leader a sixteenth out, but could not resist Suffused, with jockey Joel Rosario losing his whip just inside the sixteenth pole. Miss Chatelaine loomed boldly along the rail leaving the furlongs grounds, but could not kick on with the top pair at the end.Guapaza raced within easy striking distance but lacked the same closing response she had in the Waya, finishing sixth as the tepid 5-2 choicce in a field of 10 long-distance, filly and mare turf specialists.dddddddddddd.Suffused, a Juddmonte Farm homebred by Champs Elysse, began her career in Europe before joining trainer Bill Motts barn earlier this season. The Grade 2 Glens Falls was her second victory in five U.S. starts. She paid $7.80 after completing the distance over a firm course in 2:13.55.She had a beautiful trip, Jose gave her a great ride, Mott said. I had a lot of confidence in her. When he produced her, she punched.Mott said he wouldnt rule out the Grade 1 Flower Bowl, at Belmont Park on Oct. 8, for Suffuseds next start.Ortiz, who all but sewed-up his first Saratoga riding title with his big day, called winning five races pretty amazing.To do it here at Saratoga, where the competition is so tough, Im very lucky.As for the possibility of winning the Saratoga riding title, Ortiz simply said, it would be a dream come true. ' ' '