4 takeaways from Steelers ugly loss to the Bengals in Week 3

2. Ben Roethlisberger has got to be more successful down the field

I need to go back and watch the All-22 for this contest, but for some reason or another, the Steelers just haven’t been able to find any success down the field. Chase Claypool had a remarkable rookie season in 2020, but he and Ben have not been efficient trying to connect with each other on numerous looks this season.

Against the Bengals this week, Claypool was only able to catch 9 of 15 targets with just one explosive play of 20+ yards. These two haven’t been on the same page all season and I’ve got to wonder what the reason is for this lack of efficiency.

Something that is a legitimate concern is Roethlisberger’s inability to drive the ball down the field. Against the Raiders last week, Ben was at least willing to take numerous shots beyond 20 yards. Unfortunately, there were far too many underneath passes in Week 3.

If Ben Roethlisberger was able to connect with his receivers more often in the deep passing game, this would force opposing defenses to play their safeties further back and respect the pass. In turn, it could help Pittsburgh find more success on the ground. We can’t expect things to get better on offense if Roethlisberger can’t start consistently hitting receivers beyond 10 air yards – something he hasn’t been able to do in the first three games this season.