Steelers Big Ben struggled all night to get the offense going. With that being said, he didn’t get much help from his supporting cast.
Ben Roethlisberger finished the day going 21 of 37 for 187 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. In such a pass-heavy offense, Ben can’t throw for 187 yards and expect the Steelers to come out on top, especially against a team like the Bills.
Although he didn’t have the best game, he didn’t get much help. The run game once again struggled, James Conner ran the ball 10 times for a pitiful 18 yards and a fumble that was luckily recovered by JuJu Smith-Schuster. Diontae Johnson’s drops saga continues as he dropped two routine catches early in the first quarter that lead him to being benched till the 2nd half. Even with other parts of the offense struggling, the offensive game plan isn’t working and unfortunately, the Steelers can’t alter it due to Big Ben’s age, mobility, and other factors.
Ben’s 38 and not getting any younger. It’s time to face reality and accept that he is restricting this offense.
The Steelers offense revolves around a guy who has to get rid of the ball in under 3 seconds. Right there is why the game plan can’t change much. The dinks and dunks are going to continue to be a major part of the offense. Unfortunately, Ben can’t take hits like he used to, one hit that’s too hard or below the belt could end his career. That’s why Randy Fichtner is forced to keep the receivers short and a running back by Ben’s side for more protection.
Now getting into the statistics and facts of why Ben is the problem. Steelers receivers combine to average 9.5 yards per reception, which is dead last in the league. This number could be even lower if it weren’t for the Steelers receivers and their ability to gain yards after the catch. Big Ben also averages 6.3 yards per pass attempt, ranking 31st among all quarterbacks. His air yards are tragically low this season, averaging 3.0 air yards per attempt, which also ranks 31st in the league. If the Steelers decide to switch it up and have the receivers stretch the field, the offensive line will have to hold up and protect Ben for 3+ seconds. That’s a risk Mike Tomlin likely won’t take, it puts Ben’s career and health for the rest of the year on the line.
Lately, a lot of analysts are saying the Steelers need to move on from James Conner due to his inability to be efficient in the run game. I disagree, we truly can’t evaluate James Conner in this offense. With little to no deep threat in the passing game, teams play closer to the line of scrimmage against the Steelers, which hurts the run game, a lot. This leads them to being 2nd to last in yards per run and yards per game. At the end of the day, yes, the run game is struggling but it’s due to Ben’s inability to be a threat 20+ yards down the field. The big question is can Ben pick up the slack for the rest of the season?