The Pittsburgh Steelers offense didn’t look great over the first few weeks of the season, but because there were so many new pieces, there was hope they would eventually settle into a groove. That has not been the case. This week, against the Dallas Cowboys, they had a great opportunity to show something positive against a banged-up defense. Instead, they fell flat on their faces. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wants to see the Steelers throw the ball more to get things going.
“They’re moving the ball down the field, and I’m like, ‘Yes, this is what I want to see. Where is more of this?'” Roethlisberger said Monday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “I understand that you want to be a team that runs the ball and is physical, but it’s not working. Stop running your head into the wall.”
Roethlisberger is correct that it might be time to stop trying to force the running game into existence if it’s not working early in games. The Steelers were running the ball well during the first few weeks of the season. Najee Harris and the offensive line were grinding down opposing teams. The formula was working.
However, the past few games have seen far less success. Cordarrelle Patterson gave them a spark against the Indianapolis Colts, but they couldn’t do anything on the ground outside of that one drive.
The Cowboys game was even worse. Going into that game, the Cowboys had been awful at stopping the run. Besides their game against the New York Giants, they were getting gashed on the ground. The Steelers should’ve planned to run the ball early and often against them.
Instead, they had to pivot because they couldn’t get anything going. Even with the Cowboys’ defense missing some of its best players, Harris only amassed 42 yards on 14 carries. It was not good enough, plain and simple. It’s clear Harris can still make plays, though.
During that same episode, Roethlisberger continued explaining his thoughts on the Steelers’ offensive game plan.
“[Harris] is not getting it done right now. I’m not saying it’s [Harris’] fault, [Harris] runs hard. He is doing everything that he can, but the run game is more than just the runner. It’s the line, it’s the tight ends, it’s the receivers. Everybody’s involved, and [Harris] is working really hard, but it’s just not there right now. So, find other ways to get the ball down the field.”
Roethlisberger is correct. It’s apparent that Harris is giving it his all, but nothing seems to be clicking. The issues aren’t solely on him. Obviously, he’s part of the problem, but it’s a collective failure by the offense.
The Steelers’ lack of success in the run game may be due to injuries along the offensive line. They have taken some major hits there, losing multiple starters for the year. They just got guard Isaac Seumalo back, but he will probably need some time to get into the swing of things. Until then, they might be better off listening to Roethlisberger.
The only problem is that the Steelers can’t seem to do anything right when throwing the ball, either. Their successful drives against the Cowboys resulted from throwing the ball more, but the passing game is too inconsistent. Justin Fields still looks fine, but the receivers just aren’t getting the job done. Even George Pickens was having a bad night.
That’s part of why the Steelers are targeting Davante Adams. They know they need something else on offense. They’ve stuttered over the past few weeks, in part because their offense was unable to do anything for basically the first half. Roethlisberger is correct that if the run game doesn’t pick up, they’ll need to try something else. Otherwise, they will likely continue to look like they did against the Cowboys.
