PITTSBURGH -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger plans to keep throwing aggressively downfield, despite a career-worst five interceptions Sunday.
Asked about a connect-the-dots theory that his public flirtation with retirement in the offseason has affected his play, Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday his heart is "100 percent" committed to the 2017 season.
"You wake up Monday morning and you realize, man, I'm still one of the best in the world that do what I do,'" Roethlisberger said during his weekly radio appearance. "I'm going to have that confidence when I go out there Wednesday to practice and Sunday when we go to Kansas City. I have that belief that I'm one of the best that's ever done it, the best that's ever played this position. You have to have that confidence."
Roethlisberger was 33-for-55 on Sunday during a 30-9 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He threw two pick-sixes in a game for the first time since 2006, and he became the first Steelers quarterback since Mark Malone in 1987 to throw five interceptions in one game.
Roethlisberger called it "a bad day at the office," a combination of bad luck, good plays by the Jaguars secondary and bad plays by the quarterback.
Roethlisberger said spending time with loved ones and friends got him out of his postgame funk. Most disappointing was letting teammates down, he said.
"I love this game, I love this sport, I love my teammates, the fans -- I give everything I have," Roethlisberger said. "If I didn't care, a game like last Sunday wouldn't have bothered me. ... It ticks me off that I played like that."
Roethlisberger has one 300-yard passing performance in his past 11 regular-season games, and the Steelers (3-2) haven't surpassed 26 points all season. The Steelers went 0-for-3 in the red zone Sunday.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger's Week 5 decision-making could have been better, but "probably wasn't as catastrophic as the statistics bear out," citing Roethlisberger getting hit on multiple throws that were intercepted.
Roethlisberger's mechanics, arm strength and confidence are not concerns for Tomlin, who also addressed Roethlisberger's postgame comment that "maybe I don't have it anymore."
"I've known Ben for 11 years. I know the competitor he is. I know his level of confidence," Tomlin said Tuesday. "What he says after a five-interception performance, moments after a five-interception performance, probably is not reflective of who he is and how he feels. It wasn't reflective of who he is and how he felt when he walked in here yesterday. He looked like a guy who was ready to gun-sling and ready to get back at it. That's more in line with the guy that I know and what I anticipate from him."
Roethlisberger typically gets a rest day Wednesday, depending on how he feels that day and his discussions with coaches about his workload. Roethlisberger didn't commit to a full practice Wednesday, but he does plan to set a tone in the locker room by putting last week behind him. That's crucial against the undefeated Chiefs.
"We want to go in [to Arrowhead Stadium] and be tested by the best, probably, in the NFL right now," Roethlisberger said.