As the final whistle blew on Sunday night the Pittsburgh Steelers were left searching for answers. Nothing is going well for Pittsburgh, with the running game almost non-existent and an uncharacteristically weak defense. Times like these are where a team looks to their leaders to carry them. Ben Roethlisberger is certainly a leader that can turn things around. However, there are far too many problems to expect Big Ben to be able to carry this team through it all. Roethlisberger, and the Steelers, need plenty of help to get this season back on track.
Pittsburgh Steelers Can’t Expect Ben Roethlisberger to Carry the Team
One-dimensional Offense Makes for Easy Game Plans
Among the many problems plaguing the Steelers through the first quarter of the season is the lack of a reliable running game. James Conner is averaging 3.7 yards per carry through the first four games of the season. While that sounds like a respectable average, its worth noting that in the last three games that average has fallen to 2.8. More than half of Conner’s 232 yards came in Week One against the Cleveland Browns. As a result, the Steelers are averaging less than 75 yards per game on the ground. That places the Steelers 28th in the league. That’s certainly not your father’s or even your grandfather’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
The result is that opposing defenses sit back against the pass because they don’t feel threatened by the run. The Steelers have only scored four rushing touchdowns; two in the first game by Conner and another was a scramble by Big Ben. Roethlisberger can’t be expected to lead the offense if he doesn’t get some support from the running game. According to Jeremy Fowler from ESPN, some of the players feel the same way too.
Multiple Steelers lamented an offense turned 'one-dimensional' in light of the run game struggles. While James Conner avg 3.7 ypc, Ben Roethlisberger pacing for 744 pass attempts."We’ve just got to start coming downhill," said TE Jesse James, citing hope for I-formation work
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 1, 2018
The best way to help Ben Roethlisberger carry the team is to make it less one-dimensional. If he doesn’t have a running game to supplement the passing game, you will see turnovers climb and drives stall out more frequently. That only breeds further frustration and pressure for Big Ben and the team as a whole.
Big Ben Needs Protection
In order for Ben to lead the Steelers, he needs to remain upright in the pocket. So far this season, that has been a struggle for the offensive line. Through the first four games, the Steelers line has surrendered nine sacks and allowed Ben to be hit 18 times as well. The Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Baltimore Ravens were all able to consistently pressure Roethlisberger. This forced him into bad throws and would ruin any momentum the offense was building. Big Ben needs Alejandro Villanueva to play with more consistency, as he has been very up and down so far this year. If the offensive line can shore up their play, that will only help the running game improve and allow Ben to distribute the ball to his play-making wide receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Defense Also Needs Protection
To say the Steelers defense has been bad might be underselling it. The team currently ranks 30th in total defense, 29th in passing defense, and 21st in rushing defense. Conceding more than 400 yards to opposing offenses is not a recipe to win many games. Spotting opposing offenses two or three touchdowns early in the game puts a lot of pressure on the Pittsburgh offense to execute perfectly on each of their possessions. The Steelers defense concedes nearly 30 points per game, which is seventh worst in the league. This forces the offense to play catch up at all times, which hurts the creativity the offense could have.
Big Ben is one of the most dangerous quarterbacks to play against, especially when he is playing from behind. He has rallied the Steelers from deficits against the Chiefs and the Ravens. It has become apparent, however, that the defense can’t stop anyone. The defense conceded the most points at home against the Chiefs than they had since 2013 in the regular season. The defense nearly blew a 20 point lead in the second half against the Buccaneers, and if not for a turnover on the goal line, would have handed the Ravens a 21-3 lead in the second quarter on Sunday.
For the defense to avoid getting exposed and giving away points left and right, the offense needs to stay on the field. The Steelers are known for their explosive plays, but they can chew up the clock and have long drives. That would be no problem if Le’Veon Bell was in the backfield. Without him, the offense has struggled to put long drives together. This puts the defense back on the field and likely puts points on the board. Ben, no matter how hard he tries, cannot be perfect on every drive. Sometimes he misses routine throws, players drop passes, or the pass rush forces a bad throw. Ben can’t constantly play from behind because the defense will sit back and force turnovers like this one.
CO-CAP! @ALevine41 picks comes up with the pick in a HUGE moment. pic.twitter.com/SY7wpGHgCe
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 1, 2018
Conclusion
Through the first four games of the season, the Steelers are off to their worst start since 2013, when the Steelers started 0-4 en route to an 8-8 finish and missing the playoffs. To prevent that from happening again, the Steelers hope that Ben Roethlisberger can will the team to victory on the strength of his arm. In his 15th season in the NFL, Big Ben has more command of the offense than he ever has. Unlike in some recent seasons, Pittsburgh can’t expect Ben to carry this team back to the top of the division by himself. The defense gives up too many yards and too many points. The running game doesn’t do enough to balance the offense or force opposing defenses to respect it. And at age 36, Big Ben can’t continue to take the punishment that his offensive line has been unable to stop. Ben needs help from the entire team to turn the season around before it spirals too far out of control. It can’t all be on Ben.
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