Ben Roethlisberger was back in the starting lineup on Sunday, looking sharp after sitting out Pittsburgh's game last week because of a concussion. He didn't appear to miss a step: he completed 18 of 24 passes for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns. Twice he led the Steelers on scoring drives in response to Oakland touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger called his own number and ran for 8 yards. A play later, he hit Hines Ward for an 11-yard touchdown. His standout play was not enough. Pittsburgh lost its fourth consecutive game, 27-24, on a last-minute touchdown pass by Oakland's Bruce Gradkowski. But the story of this game, and for the entire NFL season, was the league's efforts -- driven by intense news-media scrutiny -- to deal with the scourge of concussions and the violence that produces them. One can make the argument that for the second week in a row, Pittsburgh fell victim to the league's recent preoccupation with concussions. Last week, Roethlisberger, after practicing all week, was held out of an important game against Baltimore. And Sunday's game against Oakland was seemingly affected by a call that reflects the league's new sensitivity -- some call it an obsession -- with head injuries and unnecessary violence. With Oakland driving for the winning touchdown, trailing 24-20 in the fourth quarter, Gradkowski fired a pass in the end zone for Johnnie Lee Higgins. The pass was broken up, and the rookie cornerback Ryan Mundy leveled Higgins for good measure. Last year -- perhaps six weeks ago -- Mundy's hit would have been regarded as a good, hard football play. But Mundy was called for unnecessary roughness. Two plays later, Gradkowski hit Louis Murphy for a game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass. After the game, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the critical penalty. 'That's today's NFL,' Tomlin said. 'The official thought it was unnecessary, so he threw the flag.' The tone of Tomlin's answer reflected the mounting frustration of coaches and players as the NFL attempts to make an inherently brutal game safe. The league wants to reduce head injuries without removing the essential ingredient that attracts fans to football in the first place: its violence. This is mission impossible with players and coaches caught in the middle. 'This game is already a violent sport,' Hines Ward said Sunday night as he left the Steelers' somber locker room. Ward found himself in the middle of controversy last week after he appeared to criticize Roethlisberger for not playing against Baltimore. Roethlisberger was not cleared by Pittsburgh's doctors after complaining of postpractice headaches during the week before the game. In an interview with Bob Costas before the Steelers played the Ravens, Ward described how he got around that by sometimes lying to team doctors in order to be allowed to play. During the interview, Ward, speaking of the Ravens game, said, 'It's almost a must-win,' and said he could see why some of Roethlisberger's teammates might wonder why he didn't force the issue. 'So, it's almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room,' Ward said then. 'You know, should he play, shouldn't he play? It's really hard to say.' After Sunday's loss, Ward said he was more upset with the process: Why allow Roethlisberger to practice all week, then decide on Saturday he wouldn't play? The NFL has a larger issue, and that's how to sanitize a game whose essential appeal is full-speed mayhem and violence. A game predicated on reflex and reaction cannot become rehearsed and hesitant. 'You can't go out there and play like that,' Mundy said Sunday. He acknowledged the NFL's effort to protect players, 'but it's a very fine line, especially once you add the financial aspects.' Mundy, who could be fined $15,000 for the foul, said: 'That's something you got to think about, but not when you're on the field. This is a game we've been playing all our lives. It's based off of reaction, so you don't have time to think.' How can players satisfy the NFL's tighter rules to ensure safety while playing with intimidating aggressiveness and passion? 'I would get criticized if I didn't go in there and make a play for my team,' Mundy said. 'They'd say, 'Oh, he's soft,' or 'He's not aggressive.' You definitely don't want that reputation, so you got to keep playing.' Ward reinforced Mundy's point. 'You don't want to be looked down upon for not being a physical guy,' Ward said. 'At the same time, the league is coming down trying to make the game safer. But how can you make football safe? The two words don't go hand in hand. This is a violent sport.' On Sunday, the Steelers, perhaps because of the league's new emphasis on safety first, were all but knocked out of playoff contention. 