3 things we learned from Steelers loss against Cincinnati Bengals

The Steelers offense is sputtering and is unrecognizable right now

So, we have two issues going on with the Steelers offense right now: the lack of consistency is hindering our ability to sustain drives and the ‘look’ of the offense is frankly nothing I have seen from a Steelers offense in the 42 years I have been a fan. Since 1978, which was the year I started watching the Steelers, we had always been able to run the ball at will.

Admittedly, the passing game was a bit ‘hit or miss’ over the decades, but since Ben Roethlisberger, our future Hall of Fame QB, has been at the ‘helm’, the passing game had always been more showcased if you will. Recently, however, it has become the preferred method by which we choose to try to move the ball down the field.

The reason we have to rely on the passing game to try to move the ball down the field is this: the running game is non-existent and that non-existence of what has been a staple of the Steelers offense for decades is the cause of the offense being unrecognizable.

Here’s all you need to know about the running game: according to ESPN.com, the Steelers offense is ranked 31st in average rushing yards per game.  That is awful and must be rectified now if we are to have any chance of doing what we set out to do in September.

Another issue that arises because of our lack of a running game is this:  ‘Big Ben’ is forced to throw the ball more times than we would like, which could lead to bad things happening, e.g. INTs.  If you are forced to throw 50 times per game, the chances of at least one of those passes being intercepted are increased exponentially versus having to throw the ball 25 times per game, for example.

Let’s take a look at the second thing we learned.