Ben Roethlisberger Has Elite Sunday As Steelers Beat Colts: Instant Reaction

Oct 26, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half of their game at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 51-34. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers did something that has not been done in a long time – or at least feels like a long time.  It was nothing short of BEEutiful.  They had an offensive showing that Steeler Nation has not witnessed since the start of Todd Haley’s tenure.  The Pittsburgh Bumble Bees put up 51 points (42 of which came from the offense) against the Indianapolis Colts late Sunday afternoon.

Ben Roethlisberger was nothing short of brilliant against a Colts defense that recently shut out the Bengals and earlier held the Ravens to only 13 points.  Ben opened up the first offensive series going 5 for 5 and 63 yards.  He hit four different receivers, showed pinpoint accuracy early, and no-huddled a touchdown pass to Markus Wheaton on a play action inside the Red Zone.  Who knew.  The afternoon and early evening continued with Roethlisberger hitting receiver after receiver.  The offense just kept the throttle open during the first half of play.  The offense out gained the Colts 161-67 that half.

Bubble screens? Just one in that first half.  The Steelers and Haley usually dial up more than that within their first two drives of a game each week.  The offense would finish with just two sideways passes thrown all game.  The rest? All down field.  And, if you think there’s no direct correlation between the amount of downfield passes and the final score of this game, then you need a class in analytics… or just common sense.

Oct 26, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) catches a touchdown pass behind Indianapolis Colts free safety Josh Gordy (27) during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 51-34. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Roethlisberger finished 40 of 49, 522 yards, and six touchdowns.  Amazing.  Those nine incompletions – at least four of those were flat out drops by his intended targets.  One of those was a potential 7th touchdown as Martavis Bryant dropped a slant pass with nothing but green pastures in front of him.  Five of Big Ben’s touchdowns came inside the Red Zone.  It was a career night, and probably one of the best overall performances by a quarterback in this NFL, ever.  Ever.  He may have missed the single game record for passing yards by 33, but his four quarters of brilliant play ranks right up there as one of the best you may ever see.  All along the way to his 100th career win.  If you missed it – shame on you for six weeks.  Why this team did not sign him to an extension yet is beyond me.

Oh and sacks?  Zero.  The offensive line’s performance was as brilliant as Roethlisberger’s.  He was rarely pressured, had plenty of time to throw the football, and opened up enough holes for Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount to keep them moving forward.  On an afternoon when the Steelers had an extremely thinned out offensive line and could not afford an injury or ‘bad game,’ they performed as a unit all game for the first time all season.  They had a complete and clean game (no penalties).

If I’ve lost you, yes, I’m still talking about the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers.

The only thing that wasn’t different was the play from the defense.  It looked promising at first.  The D held the Colts for several 3 and outs and did not hand over give back points like they usually do after just about every Steelers offensive score.  They had their moments with two significant splash plays and some key sacks.  William Gay had an interception that had him a shimmying and a shaking in the end zone after scoring with his first pick 6 since last season.  A Pick 6 Boogie.  Antwon Blake had a key interception in his own end zone as the Colts tried to score late in the 4th quarter.  The splash plays were huge and are certainly something missing on a regular from this defense.  The front seven were all over the place when Dick LeBeau kept the pressure on with blitzes.  The Colts offensive line had trouble containing Worilds, Harrison, Keisel, and Heyward.  It was like their slogan for the afternoon was “Meet ya at the QB!”  Luck’s uniform showed it with all those grass stains.

But, it must be noted that the Colts and Andrew Luck were still able to carve up this secondary and make big plays throughout.  When the Steelers did not apply pressure – sending four or less after Luck – the receivers and tight ends were able to easily find seams within this suspect secondary.  Timmons was left not once but twice covering a tight end with absolutely zero help over the top that resulted in big gains and a touchdown.  Cortez Allen stunk up the joint so badly that he found himself standing on the sidelines when the Steelers needed their playmakers (you know the highly paid guys like himself) on the field stopping the late surge of the Colts.  I don’t know what the Steelers will do with him next week (my guess is move him down the charts to #2), but if he keeps up this stink’fest the rest of the season, he’s going to be a huge problem in how to deal with.  They had 10 penalties called on them – many were for some type of illegal contact.  There was more illegal contact called during that game than there is during a Catholic middle school dance.  (Doesn’t help that the officiating was inconsistent and simply awful for both teams).

The Steelers were able to pull off a win that many didn’t think they would get.  The offense was brilliant, and they needed every single moment of brilliance to get the W.  The defense was good at times, and horrible during others.  They are without a doubt the weakest link on the team, and you could probably narrow that down to the guys behind the front seven (and DLB).  The offense has the pieces in place.  The talent is there.  Has been all season.  Will Haley continue to trust that talent?  You have to wonder what kind of wrench this game throws into how he draws them up from week to week.  Dare he goes back to throwing more than just a few bubble screens all day?  Dare he call Jumbo sets when facing a secondary that is tattered and struggling?  The Steelers offense may have put on a showing Sunday afternoon/evening, but fans now smell blood in the water for Todd Haley.  Anything less than the game plan that was executed against the Colts, and Steeler Nation will be frothing at the mouth.

It’s a win to feel good about despite some shaky play by the defense at times.  The Ravens game just got a whole lot better with both of these teams being 5-3 and in hot pursuit.

Other notables:

– That Roethlisberger guy – only QB in NFL history to have two 500+ yard games.

– Bell leads all RB’s with receptions for first downs.

– Bell injured his right ankle, but returned later.  He appeared slower than usual, and his cuts weren’t as crisp.  That will be the story of the week going into the Ravens game.

– Antonio Brown is simply amazing.  Period.  That one handed grab in the end zone? Move over Megatron.

– Andrew Luck fell backwards into his own end zone after tripping over his own center.  He threw the ball into the air that was without a doubt intentional grounding.  He would then try and argue that it wasn’t.  The play resulted in a safety for the Steelers.  That whole sequence right there ranks right up there with Mark Sanchez’s “butt fumble.”