After losing to the 2-11 Cleveland Browns 13-6 Thursday night in front of a national television audience and 
throwing all but their mathematical chances of a playoff spot down the drain, the 6-7 Pittsburgh Steelers get this week’s Slap-of-the-Week.
The loss was the 5th in a row for the Steelers drawing sharp criticism from some of their local columnists like Ron Cook who pulled no punches.
The Browns attacked Ben Roethlisberger from the start, sacking the scrambling QB eight times during a night where temps were reported to be -12 below zero chill factor at kickoff time.
Here are a few post-game quotes from the under-achievers who were last year’s Super Bowl Champions.
WR Hines Ward: “To lose five straight coming off a Super Bowl from last year, it’s embarrassing for me. It just hurts, it hurts a lot. There’s nothing fun about losing games, especially five in a row. We’re better than that, we should play better than that.”
WR Mike Wallace: “It was like every time I go out for a pass, when I looked back, he’d be getting hit,” referring to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “I’d just be coming out of my break and he’d be going down.”
Coach Mike Tomlin: “I thought they fought. I thought they stuck together, but it wasn’t enough to win the football game. … Fighting and sticking together are not winning football games. We’re finding new and different ways to not rise up. This one tonight happened in all three phases.”
Tackle Willie Colon: “This was probably the worst we played up front all year. I know it was probably my worst game. I feel like I let the line down.”
Defensive Back Deshea Townsend: “Mind-boggling.”
Nose Tackle Casey Hampton: “Like a bad dream. [The season] is a wrap, this [explicate] is a wrap.”
Yes it is. It’s not only a wrap but it’s a full-on Bitch-Slap to go along with your record for most consecutive losses (5) for a Super Bowl winner the season following a Super Bowl win.
Other NFL Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week Columns:
Detroit Lions Exec Matt Millen
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