Penalties, injuries and sluggish play have Steelers scrambling at midway point of preseason

PITTSBURGH – Mike Tomlin is running out of patience. Even worse, the Pittsburgh Steelers are running out of running backs.

A week after Tomlin criticized his team for sloppy play against the New York Giants, Pittsburgh took another step backward in a 24-13 loss to Washington. The Steelers committed eight penalties, turned it over three times and saw three more running backs leave the game with injuries. Rookie Le'Veon Bell was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday to examine a sprained foot while fullback Will Johnson is nursing broken ribs and Baron Batch is dealing with a stinger.

The retooled offensive line struggled protecting the quarterback. The Redskins collected three sacks and never allowed Ben Roethlisberger to get comfortable.

Pittsburgh has just four days to get ready before hosting Kansas City on Saturday.