One of a few summer projects I hope to get completed in these next few weeks when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers is a deep dive into quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and specifically, his deep passing stats. In short, I will be looking to contextualize the deep passing attempts of Roethlisberger dating back to the 2016 season to see if there is anything that sticks out either good or bad or any trends that are noticeable.
Today, we will look at Roethlisberger’s deep pass completions of 20 or more air yards dating back to 2016 and this contextualization includes all playoff games as well.
In total, I have Roethlisberger down for 118 deep pass completions dating back to 2016 and once again, the qualifier for those were balls thrown 20 or more yards past the line of scrimmage. A whopping 44 of those 118 deep pass completions went for touchdowns with 20 of those going to wide receiver Antonio Brown.
33 of those deep pass completions went outside the numbers to the left side of the field while 40 others went to the right side of the field and outside the numbers. With Roethlisberger being right-handed, that’s not too surprising that the right side of the field has been his predominant side.
Roethlisberger’s average completed air yards on these 118 deep passes was 28.4 yards. His average in 2020 was 26.4, however.
Only 13 of the 118 deep pass completions by Roethlisberger dating back to 2016 came with him under center. On top of that, none came from under center in 2020. Only 12 of Roethlisberger’s deep pass completions included play action and eight of those came with him under center.
Surprisingly, only 18 of the 118 deep pass completions that Roethlisberger has had dating back to 2016 came via him extending the play. I was sure that number would have been greater than 18 and especially with Brown being in Pittsburgh for three of those seasons, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
So, what sticks out the most on film and in these contextualized deep pass plays? First, Brown was quite an incredible wide receiver and Roethlisberger sure had some chemistry with him. That was obvious during the time, however, and certainly not a new revelation.
The fact that Roethlisberger has been a pure shotgun deep pass passer with no play-action is the other thing that really stands out so far in this study. It will be interesting to see how if that changes in 2021 with Matt Canada now installed as the Steelers new offensive coordinator.
The next part of this study will include a look at Roethlisberger’s deep pass incompletions dating back to 2016.
LEGEND
SG = Shotgun
NH = No Huddle
PA = Play Action
EXT = Extended The Play
AREA = 1-5 (3 = Between Hashes)
LOC = Location
DIST = Air Yards
YAC = Yards After Catch
YDS = Total Yards Gained
TD = Touchdown On Plat
| DATE | OPP | Q | TIME | DWN | DIST | LOS | SG | NH | PA | EXT | TARGET | AREA | LOC | DIST | YAC | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/12/16 | WAS | 2 | 10:18 | 4 | 1 | WAS 29 | N | N | Y | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 29 | 0 | 29 | Y |
| 9/12/16 | WAS | 3 | 8:26 | 2 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | Y | N | N | S.Coates | 1 | DL | 32 | 10 | 42 | N |
| 9/12/16 | WAS | 3 | 7:08 | 3 | 3 | WAS 26 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 26 | 0 | 26 | Y |
| 9/12/16 | WAS | 4 | 6:39 | 2 | 19 | WAS 36 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 23 | -2 | 21 | N |
| 9/18/16 | CIN | 1 | 4:47 | 3 | 9 | PIT 35 | Y | N | N | Y | S.Coates | 1 | DL | 28 | 16 | 44 | N |
| 9/18/16 | CIN | 3 | 7:12 | 1 | 10 | PIT 38 | Y | N | Y | N | S.Coates | 4 | DR | 49 | 4 | 53 | N |
| 9/25/16 | PHI | 1 | 13:37 | 3 | 6 | PIT 29 | Y | N | N | N | E.Rogers | 5 | DR | 26 | 6 | 32 | N |
| 9/25/16 | PHI | 2 | 11:12 | 3 | 4 | PIT 23 | Y | Y | N | N | S.Coates | 5 | DR | 42 | -1 | 41 | N |
| 9/25/16 | PHI | 2 | 10:24 | 1 | 10 | PHI 36 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 20 | 0 | 20 | N |
| 10/2/16 | KC | 1 | 12:28 | 1 | 10 | PIT 5 | N | N | Y | Y | S.Coates | 5 | DR | 45 | 2 | 47 | N |
| 10/2/16 | KC | 1 | 7:34 | 3 | 9 | KC 31 | Y | N | N | N | D.Heyward-Bey | 1 | DL | 29 | 2 | 31 | Y |
| 10/2/16 | KC | 1 | 1:28 | 2 | 8 | KC 38 | N | N | Y | N | A.Brown | 2 | DM | 38 | 0 | 38 | Y |
| 10/2/16 | KC | 3 | 11:26 | 3 | 4 | KC 30 | Y | N | N | N | M.Wheaton | 1 | DL | 30 | 0 | 30 | Y |
| 10/9/16 | NYJ | 1 | 10:25 | 3 | 7 | PIT 28 | Y | N | N | N | S.Coates | 5 | DR | 40 | 32 | 72 | Y |
| 10/9/16 | NYJ | 3 | 0:42 | 3 | 3 | NYJ 33 | N | Y | N | N | S.Coates | 5 | DR | 21 | 1 | 22 | N |
| 10/16/16 | MIA | 4 | 1:08 | 2 | 4 | MIA 23 | Y | Y | N | N | C.Hamilton | 1 | DL | 23 | 0 | 23 | Y |
| 11/6/16 | BAL | 4 | 8:47 | 4 | 3 | BAL 23 | Y | Y | N | Y | A.Brown | 4 | DM | 23 | 0 | 23 | Y |
| 11/6/16 | BAL | 4 | 5:30 | 3 | 21 | PIT 9 | Y | Y | N | N | E.Rogers | 3 | DM | 28 | 2 | 30 | N |
| 11/6/16 | BAL | 4 | 2:04 | 2 | 10 | PIT 35 | Y | Y | N | N | E.Rogers | 3 | DM | 25 | 4 | 29 | N |
| 11/13/16 | DAL | 3 | 15:00 | 1 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | N | N | N | C.Hamilton | 1 | DL | 35 | 4 | 39 | N |
| 11/13/16 | DAL | 4 | 9:15 | 2 | 8 | DAL 31 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 20 | 0 | 20 | N |
| 11/24/16 | IND | 1 | 1:13 | 3 | 5 | IND 25 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 23 | 2 | 25 | Y |
| 11/24/16 | IND | 2 | 9:08 | 2 | 8 | IND 33 | N | N | Y | N | A.Brown | 4 | DR | 33 | 0 | 33 | Y |
| 11/24/16 | IND | 4 | 7:51 | 1 | 10 | PIT 36 | N | N | Y | N | L.Green | 5 | DR | 28 | 7 | 35 | N |
| 11/24/16 | IND | 4 | 5:38 | 3 | 3 | IND 22 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 22 | 0 | 22 | Y |
| 12/4/16 | NYG | 2 | 7:20 | 2 | 3 | NYG 22 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 4 | DR | 22 | 0 | 22 | Y |
| 12/4/16 | NYG | 3 | 6:26 | 1 | 10 | PIT 12 | N | N | Y | N | L.Green | 3 | DM | 22 | 11 | 33 | N |
| 12/11/16 | BUF | 1 | 8:26 | 2 | 8 | PIT 31 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 38 | 2 | 40 | N |
| 12/18/16 | CIN | 2 | 8:05 | 3 | 2 | PIT 27 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 25 | 7 | 32 | N |
| 12/18/16 | CIN | 2 | 0:44 | 3 | 7 | PIT 40 | Y | N | N | Y | C.Hamilton | 2 | DL | 20 | 1 | 21 | N |
| 12/18/16 | CIN | 3 | 13:56 | 3 | 17 | PIT 18 | Y | N | N | N | L.Green | 5 | DR | 23 | 0 | 23 | N |
| 12/18/16 | CIN | 3 | 5:42 | 2 | 8 | PIT 32 | Y | N | N | N | E.Rogers | 3 | DM | 28 | 0 | 28 | N |
| 12/18/16 | CIN | 4 | 7:36 | 2 | 16 | CIN 24 | Y | N | N | N | E.Rogers | 3 | DM | 24 | 0 | 24 | Y |
| 12/18/16 | CIN | 4 | 3:37 | 3 | 8 | PIT 29 | Y | N | N | N | L.Green | 3 | DM | 21 | 7 | 28 | N |
| 12/25/16 | BAL | 1 | 7:18 | 1 | 10 | BAL 20 | Y | N | N | N | X.Grimble | 3 | DM | 20 | 0 | 20 | Y |
| 1/15/17 | KC | 1 | 5:28 | 3 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 47 | 5 | 52 | N |
| 1/22/17 | NE | 3 | 1:35 | 1 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | N | N | N | S.Coates | 5 | DR | 23 | 7 | 30 | N |
| 1/22/17 | NE | 4 | 3:42 | 1 | 10 | NE 30 | Y | N | N | N | C.Hamilton | 5 | DR | 30 | 0 | 30 | Y |
| 9/10/17 | CLE | 4 | 2:47 | 2 | 12 | PIT 18 | Y | N | Y | Y | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 38 | 0 | 38 | N |
| 9/17/17 | MIN | 3 | 7:01 | 1 | 10 | PIT 38 | Y | Y | N | N | M.Bryant | 1 | DL | 51 | 0 | 51 | N |
| 9/24/17 | CHI | 2 | 0:17 | 2 | 15 | PIT 37 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 22 | 0 | 22 | N |
| 9/24/17 | CHI | 2 | 0:13 | 1 | 10 | CHI 41 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 4 | DM | 22 | 1 | 23 | N |
| 10/8/17 | JAX | 1 | 13:23 | 1 | 10 | PIT 28 | N | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 40 | 9 | 49 | N |
| 10/8/17 | JAX | 2 | 0:41 | 1 | 10 | PIT 39 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 4 | DR | 21 | 0 | 21 | N |
| 10/8/17 | JAX | 4 | 4:15 | 1 | 10 | PIT 29 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 3 | DM | 20 | 1 | 21 | N |
| 10/15/17 | KC | 3 | 7:34 | 2 | 6 | PIT 15 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 2 | DL | 25 | 5 | 30 | N |
| 10/22/17 | CIN | 2 | 12:59 | 1 | 10 | CIN 31 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 2 | DM | 21 | 10 | 31 | Y |
| 10/22/17 | CIN | 2 | 0:55 | 2 | 17 | PIT 16 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 23 | 0 | 23 | N |
| 10/29/17 | DET | 1 | 15:00 | 1 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 5 | DR | 25 | 16 | 41 | N |
| 10/29/17 | DET | 2 | 5:02 | 3 | 9 | DET 45 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 3 | DM | 38 | 2 | 40 | N |
| 10/29/17 | DET | 3 | 3:15 | 3 | 9 | PIT 3 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 3 | DM | 25 | 72 | 97 | Y |
| 11/12/17 | IND | 3 | 11:28 | 1 | 10 | PIT 34 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 5 | DR | 32 | 12 | 44 | N |
| 11/16/17 | TEN | 1 | 12:33 | 2 | 10 | TEN 41 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 2 | DL | 41 | 0 | 41 | Y |
| 11/16/17 | TEN | 4 | 13:39 | 1 | 10 | PIT 49 | Y | N | Y | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 23 | 0 | 23 | N |
| 11/26/17 | GB | 4 | 8:50 | 1 | 10 | GB 33 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 24 | 9 | 33 | Y |
| 11/26/17 | GB | 4 | 0:17 | 1 | 10 | PIT 30 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 25 | -2 | 23 | N |
| 12/10/17 | BAL | 2 | 14:00 | 3 | 3 | BAL 34 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 28 | 0 | 28 | N |
| 12/10/17 | BAL | 2 | 6:20 | 2 | 6 | PIT 30 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 39 | 4 | 43 | N |
| 12/10/17 | BAL | 4 | 1:08 | 3 | 4 | PIT 36 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 29 | 5 | 34 | N |
| 12/17/17 | NE | 2 | 15:00 | 3 | 8 | PIT 44 | Y | N | N | N | M.Bryant | 5 | DR | 36 | 3 | 39 | N |
| 12/25/17 | HOU | 1 | 7:48 | 3 | 3 | HOU 47 | Y | N | N | N | M.Bryant | 5 | DR | 35 | 1 | 36 | N |
| 1/14/18 | JAX | 2 | 8:26 | 1 | 10 | JAX 23 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 23 | 0 | 23 | Y |
| 1/14/18 | JAX | 2 | 0:32 | 4 | 11 | JAX 36 | Y | N | N | N | M.Bryant | 4 | DR | 36 | 0 | 36 | Y |
| 1/14/18 | JAX | 4 | 10:34 | 1 | 10 | PIT 25 | N | N | Y | N | A.Brown | 2 | DL | 21 | 6 | 27 | N |
| 1/14/18 | JAX | 4 | 9:14 | 4 | 5 | JAX 43 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 43 | 0 | 43 | Y |
| 1/14/18 | JAX | 4 | 0:58 | 1 | 10 | JAX 47 | Y | Y | N | N | M.Bryant | 4 | DR | 20 | 22 | 42 | N |
| 9/9/18 | CLE | 1 | 6:15 | 3 | 5 | CLE 45 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 5 | DR | 22 | 5 | 27 | N |
| 9/9/18 | CLE | 3 | 8:29 | 2 | 22 | CLE 22 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 22 | 0 | 22 | Y |
| 9/16/18 | KC | 2 | 14:30 | 1 | 10 | KC 26 | Y | Y | N | Y | J.James | 2 | DL | 23 | 3 | 26 | Y |
| 9/24/18 | TB | 1 | 1:08 | 2 | 10 | PIT 8 | N | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 4 | DR | 33 | 10 | 43 | N |
| 9/30/18 | BAL | 1 | 3:22 | 2 | 8 | PIT 22 | Y | N | Y | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 2 | DL | 24 | 14 | 38 | N |
| 9/30/18 | BAL | 2 | 2:59 | 2 | 4 | BAL 26 | Y | Y | N | Y | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 26 | 0 | 26 | Y |
| 10/7/18 | ATL | 4 | 9:49 | 1 | 10 | ATL 47 | N | N | Y | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 38 | 9 | 47 | Y |
| 10/14/18 | CIN | 2 | 2:00 | 3 | 6 | CIN 30 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 5 | DR | 29 | 0 | 29 | N |
| 10/28/18 | CLE | 2 | 11:35 | 1 | 10 | CLE 43 | Y | Y | N | Y | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 33 | 10 | 43 | Y |
| 11/4/18 | BAL | 4 | 11:17 | 2 | 9 | PIT 28 | Y | N | N | N | J.James | 5 | DR | 26 | 25 | 51 | N |
| 11/8/18 | CAR | 1 | 10:29 | 1 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 1 | DL | 25 | 50 | 75 | Y |
| 11/8/18 | CAR | 2 | 11:59 | 3 | 2 | PIT 42 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 4 | DM | 32 | 1 | 33 | N |
| 11/8/18 | CAR | 2 | 3:16 | 1 | 10 | PIT 47 | Y | Y | N | N | A.Brown | 5 | DR | 34 | 19 | 53 | Y |
| 11/18/18 | JAX | 3 | 1:31 | 2 | 9 | PIT 22 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 4 | DM | 43 | 35 | 78 | Y |
| 11/18/18 | JAX | 4 | 1:39 | 2 | 4 | PIT 38 | Y | Y | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 1 | DL | 35 | 0 | 35 | N |
| 11/25/18 | DEN | 2 | 0:59 | 2 | 10 | DEN 31 | Y | N | N | N | R.Switzer | 3 | DM | 20 | 4 | 24 | N |
| 11/25/18 | DEN | 3 | 10:47 | 1 | 10 | PIT 3 | N | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 4 | DM | 29 | 68 | 97 | Y |
| 12/2/18 | LAC | 1 | 10:10 | 1 | 10 | LAC 47 | N | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 43 | 3 | 46 | N |
| 12/2/18 | LAC | 2 | 0:24 | 1 | 10 | LAC 28 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 2 | DL | 28 | 0 | 28 | Y |
| 12/9/18 | LV | 2 | 2:16 | 2 | 9 | PIT 48 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 5 | DR | 20 | 0 | 20 | N |
| 12/16/18 | NE | 3 | 12:20 | 2 | 6 | PIT 25 | Y | Y | N | N | J.Washington | 5 | DR | 27 | 5 | 32 | N |
| 12/23/18 | NO | 1 | 0:35 | 3 | 4 | PIT 38 | Y | N | N | N | V.McDonald | 5 | DR | 28 | 21 | 49 | N |
| 12/23/18 | NO | 2 | 5:25 | 3 | 2 | PIT 11 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 21 | 7 | 28 | N |
| 12/23/18 | NO | 3 | 2:38 | 1 | 10 | PIT 34 | Y | N | N | Y | A.Brown | 4 | DR | 26 | 0 | 26 | N |
| 12/23/18 | NO | 3 | 1:05 | 2 | 10 | NO 20 | Y | N | N | N | A.Brown | 1 | DL | 20 | 0 | 20 | Y |
| 12/30/18 | CIN | 3 | 5:15 | 1 | 10 | PIT 26 | Y | N | N | N | J.Washington | 5 | DR | 34 | 13 | 47 | N |
| 9/8/19 | NE | 3 | 13:27 | 3 | 10 | PIT 37 | Y | N | N | N | J.Washington | 5 | DR | 38 | 7 | 45 | N |
| 9/14/20 | NYG | 1 | 4:46 | 3 | 9 | PIT 33 | Y | Y | N | N | C.Claypool | 5 | DR | 28 | 0 | 28 | N |
| 9/20/20 | DEN | 2 | 6:34 | 1 | 10 | PIT 16 | Y | N | N | N | C.Claypool | 1 | DL | 37 | 47 | 84 | Y |
| 9/20/20 | DEN | 4 | 11:34 | 2 | 6 | DEN 28 | Y | N | N | Y | D.Johnson | 4 | DM | 28 | 0 | 28 | Y |
| 10/11/20 | PHI | 4 | 3:04 | 3 | 8 | PHI 35 | Y | N | N | N | C.Claypool | 3 | DM | 25 | 10 | 35 | Y |
| 10/18/20 | CLE | 1 | 14:24 | 3 | 5 | PIT 30 | Y | N | N | N | J.Washington | 1 | DL | 21 | 6 | 27 | N |
| 10/18/20 | CLE | 2 | 11:12 | 2 | 3 | CLE 39 | Y | Y | N | N | C.Claypool | 1 | DL | 32 | 4 | 36 | N |
| 10/18/20 | CLE | 2 | 5:49 | 1 | 10 | CLE 28 | Y | Y | N | N | J.Washington | 5 | DR | 28 | 0 | 28 | Y |
| 10/25/20 | TEN | 2 | 14:22 | 3 | 12 | TEN 33 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 2 | DL | 20 | 1 | 21 | N |
| 11/8/20 | DAL | 4 | 15:00 | 2 | 6 | DAL 31 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 3 | DM | 23 | 8 | 31 | Y |
| 11/15/20 | CIN | 1 | 2:52 | 1 | 10 | PIT 26 | Y | N | N | N | D.Johnson | 1 | DL | 36 | 10 | 46 | N |
| 11/15/20 | CIN | 2 | 9:21 | 1 | 10 | PIT 41 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 4 | DR | 21 | 3 | 24 | N |
| 11/22/20 | JAX | 2 | 7:07 | 2 | 7 | JAX 31 | Y | N | N | N | C.Claypool | 5 | DR | 30 | 1 | 31 | Y |
| 11/22/20 | JAX | 2 | 1:02 | 2 | 10 | JAX 24 | Y | N | N | N | D.Johnson | 1 | DL | 23 | 0 | 23 | N |
| 12/2/20 | BAL | 2 | 14:23 | 2 | 7 | BAL 49 | Y | Y | N | N | E.Ebron | 1 | DL | 24 | 3 | 27 | N |
| 12/7/20 | WAS | 1 | 4:46 | 2 | 10 | PIT 23 | Y | N | N | N | J.Washington | 4 | DR | 24 | 6 | 30 | N |
| 12/7/20 | WAS | 2 | 8:21 | 2 | 14 | WAS 35 | Y | N | N | Y | C.Claypool | 3 | DM | 30 | 0 | 30 | N |
| 12/7/20 | WAS | 4 | 0:12 | 2 | 10 | PIT 25 | Y | N | N | N | E.Ebron | 1 | DL | 20 | 2 | 22 | N |
| 12/13/20 | BUF | 2 | 1 | 10 | BUF 19 | Y | N | N | N | J.Washington | 4 | DM | 23 | 0 | 19 | Y | |
| 12/21/20 | CIN | 3 | 12:11 | 1 | 10 | CIN 23 | Y | N | N | N | D.Johnson | 5 | DR | 23 | 0 | 23 | Y |
| 12/27/20 | IND | 3 | 7:09 | 1 | 10 | IND 48 | Y | N | N | N | C.Claypool | 4 | DR | 23 | 11 | 34 | N |
| 12/27/20 | IND | 3 | 3:23 | 1 | 10 | IND 39 | Y | N | N | N | D.Johnson | 5 | DR | 39 | 0 | 39 | Y |
| 12/27/20 | IND | 4 | 7:43 | 1 | 10 | IND 25 | Y | N | N | N | J.Smith-Schuster | 2 | DL | 25 | 0 | 25 | Y |
| 1/10/2021 | CLE | 2 | 4:36 | 1 | 10 | PIT 49 | Y | Y | N | N | J.Washington | 5 | DR | 20 | 7 | 27 | N |
| 1/10/2021 | CLE | 4 | 11:13 | 1 | 10 | CLE 29 | Y | Y | N | N | C.Claypool | 4 | DM | 25 | 4 | 29 | Y |
| 1/10/2021 | CLE | 4 | 1:44 | 4 | 10 | CLE 40 | Y | N | N | Y | J.Smith-Schuster | 2 | DM | 33 | 0 | 33 | N |
