Pittsburgh fell behind 14-0 by the end of the first quarter and was forced to play catch-up the rest of the way.

They seemed to grab the momentum back in the second half, but three turnovers was ultimately their undoing.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger rebounded somewhat from a rough start, but still didn’t play his best game.

He threw for 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions but couldn’t make a big play when his team needed it the most.

Dixon underwent surgery on his knee and was expected to miss several weeks.

With Big Ben set to return and both Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich proving serviceable, there was no reason to rush Dixon back.

The team can use his roster spot to keep one of the veteran backup quarterbacks in case there is another big injury.

Dixon is expected to make a full recovery and obviously be ready in plenty of time for offseason activities.

The Steelers continued to play musical quarterbacks, this time starting veteran Charlie Batch in place of the injured Dennis Dixon.

Batch failed to throw for more than 200 yards, but he did pass for three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Wide receiver Mike Wallace, who had been quiet thus far this season, topped the 100-yard mark and hauled in two touchdowns.

The Pittsburgh defense did the rest, putting the clamps on Tampa Bay’s offense and even scoring a touchdown themselves.

The Pittsburgh Steelers found out this week that their quarterback will miss the first six games of the season, and now they know what matchups they won’t have Ben Roethlisberger for in the first month and a half of 2010.

The National Football League has announced the times and dates for the upcoming season. For the Steelers, it’ll be a tale of two seasons: one without Big Ben and one with the two-time Super Bowl winning signalcaller.

The No-Ben schedule begins with the opener at home against Atlanta on Sept. 12. Next up: two consecutive road games, at Tennessee and at Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh returns home for a game Oct. 3 with Baltimore, a playoff team from last season. Pittsburgh’s bye is Oct. 10, followed by a home game against Cleveland and a road game at Tampa Bay.

Game No. 7, when Roethlisberger is slated to return, is Oct. 24 at Miami. That’s followed by a trip Oct. 31 to Super Bowl champion New Orleans, a challenging Sunday Night Football matchup. That kicks off three consecutive prime-time games, followed with a Monday Night Football showing at Cincinnati on Nov. 8 and a home game with New England on Sunday Night Football Nov. 14.

Pittsburgh welcomes in Oakland for a home game before two consecutive road games at Buffalo and a Sunday Night Football matchup at Baltimore on Dec. 5.

Three consecutive home games are next: Cincinnati, the New York Jets and a Thursday Night Football game Dec. 23 vs. Carolina. The season concludes Jan. 2 at Cleveland.

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If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to return to the playoffs after missing out on the postseason last season, they will have to play well in 2010.

The schedule for the Steelers is far from easy.

The National Football League has released its list of home games and road games for the upcoming season. Dates and times will be determined later this spring.

AFC North champion Cincinnati, AFC East champion New England, and two AFC wild-card teams – Baltimore and the New York Jets – come to play at Pittsburgh this season. The rest of the home schedule includes games against Cleveland, Atlanta, Carolina and Oakland.

The road schedule features games with three playoff teams. Pittsburgh plays at Cincinnati and Baltimore, as well as a visit with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. The rest of the road slate is completed by trips to Cleveland, Miami, Buffalo, Tennessee and Tampa Bay.

The Steelers’ schedule ranks 21st in the league based on opponents’ winning percentage.

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