Coming into Sunday's match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers were ready to win another pivotal game and climb back to the top of the AFC North in their quest to capture another division title. Unfortunately for them, things did not go as planned and they were outplayed by a young and explosive Bengals squad that came ready to dethrone the long-time kings of the AFC North.

With a potential changing of the guard taking place in the division, the Steelers now find themselves looking for new ways to stay competitive and contend as they've seemingly lost their place amongst the premier teams in the NFL. It goes without saying that they'll need to get back to the drawing board and devise a new strategy for next Sunday.

This may be a bit dramatic after just three weeks of football, but they did completely collapse against the Browns during last year's wild card match-up. Looking to make some serious adjustments prior to next week's match-up against the Packers, let's take a look at the three Steelers who are most responsible for last week's disappointing loss to the Bengals.

3. Ben Roethlisberger 

Despite throwing a touchdown and posting 318 passing yards to go along with that, Ben Roethlisberger had anything but an easy day–especially after he threw two untimely interceptions that proved to be very costly to the Steelers later in the game. If Pittsburgh is hoping to gain any type of momentum and find their way back into the elite of the AFC, then they'll need Roethlisberger to step his game up and come through for them in the clutch as he's done in previous seasons.

On the other hand, it may be time for the Steelers to weigh their options and look elsewhere for a long-term solution at quarterback with Roethlisberger seemingly on the decline and nearing the end of his playing career. After last week's poor showing against the Bengals, there's no denying that Roethlisberger played a big part in them losing to their long-time division rivals.

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2. Mike Tomlin 

As great of a coach as Mike Tomlin has been for the Steelers throughout the years, it may be time for him to implement some changes on the roster. After all, he's only delaying the inevitable by keeping the same structure in place that made them the Super Bowl champions in seasons prior. Granted he has kept them competitive and relevant as playoff contenders almost every season he's been with the team, but they haven't been to the Super Bowl since 2011.

So it may be time for them to start making some major changes to their game plan if they are to return to their winning ways. With a lot riding on their Week 4 match-up against the Green Bay Packers, they definitely have their work cut out for them after a dismal performance against the Bengals. It will be on coach Tomlin to right the ship and come up with a new game plan for them.

1. James Washington 

After being a complete non-factor for them against the Las Vegas Raiders and coming up with just three receptions on 20 yards receiving against the Bengals, the Steelers will need James Washington to provide some much-needed relief to their receiving corps. It's still early into the season, and there's still plenty of opportunities for Washington to have bounce-back games, but the last two weekends have been very uncharacteristic of him.

So they will need Washington to provide JuJu Smith-Schuster with some aid downfield if they want to score more points and keep the chains moving next weekend. Hoping to put up bigger numbers against the Packers, the Steelers will need Washington to snap out of his  funk and get back to his old ways.