Wide receiver Santonio Holmes said he could have been the difference-maker in the Steelers' loss to the New York Giants Sunday, but he was inactive because of a marijuana-related arrest.

PITTSBURGH — Wide receiver Santonio Holmes accepted partial blame for the Steelers' 21-14 loss to the Giants, saying Wednesday he is convinced he would have made a major difference if he had played.

Holmes, tied for the team lead in receptions going into the game, was held out by coach Mike Tomlin after being cited for a marijuana-related charge by city police following practice last Thursday. The case is pending.

"I know I would have, if it comes down to it," Holmes said. "But I wasn't there to help the team."

Because the Steelers (5-2) had completed their two major pre-game practices when the Holmes incident occurred, receivers Nate Washington and Limas Sweed didn't get as much work with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as they would have if the team had known Holmes wouldn't play.

"Just knowing I couldn't help (was tough), seeing all the little things happen on the field that I could have made a big difference in," Holmes said. "Having a loss on the record, knowing we could have been 6-1 at this point, it kind of puts a dent on this team right now."

Washington caught a 65-yard TD pass, the third consecutive game he has scored, but Sweed was held to three catches for 28 yards. On several plays, it appeared Roethlisberger expected Sweed to run a particular route, only to have the rookie run a different one.

Roethlisberger went 13-of-29 and threw four interceptions in one of the worst games of his career.

Holmes doesn't blame Sweed, saying it was difficult for him to step into a much larger role with so limited practice time with the starters.

"Having a young guy in there, with Sweed filling in and him not being on the same page with Ben and not having as many reps throughout practice, not having the experience, it was a tough situation, Holmes said. "I feel I could have made real big progress for the team."

Holmes, at the suggestion of injured quarterback Charlie Batch, apologized to his teammates at a team meeting Monday. Holmes also met with Tomlin and, after also issuing a public apology in a statement released by the team, was cleared to play Monday night against Washington.

Holmes hasn't heard from the NFL about the incident and, because it may fall under the league's substance abuse policy, probably won't until the case is adjudicated. Holmes faces a hearing before a Pittsburgh judge on Nov. 24.