Ben Roethlisberger: 'We need to stick together'

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has insisted that he and his teammates have to stick together to maintain their push for the playoffs, despite their defeat to the New Orleans Saints.

The Steelers dropped to 7-5 in their season and as a result moved out of contention for a place in the wildcard round in the playoffs.

Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns against the Saints, but also turned the ball over twice, leading him to admit that he needs to raise the level of his game in the final four matches of the season.

He told reporters: "The big thing for us is to stay together, and I don't see that being an issue at all. On offense I need to play better."

The Steelers face the Cincinnati Bengals in their AFC North showdown next week.