Taylor: No Ben means Steelers must ‘play better up front’

So what do the Pittsburgh Steelers do now?

Ben Roethlisberger, the primary reason many prognosticators saw them as a Super Bowl team, is out for the foreseeable future after undergoing knee surgery.

Landry Jones will take his place. And, all of a sudden, the Steelers’ once-explosive offense doesn’t look so dangerous.

‘They’re going to have to protect’

How do the Steelers survive being without Roethlisberger?

“They’re going to have to play better up front,” Jason Taylor told co-host Bob Papa on the Opening Drive. “They’re going to have to protect, because Landry is a different quarterback than Ben in a lot of ways. They have to run the football, something they were very ineffective doing (in Sunday’s 30-15 loss against the Miami Dolphins). With Le’Veon Bell, they have to run the ball.

‘Run the ball, play better defense’

“They’re going to have to run the ball and play better defense and create some turnovers to help Pittsburgh hang around. They have the Patriots next. I mean, it’s a tough order to go up to play the Patriots with no Ben.”

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)