Going into Week 3, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked like they had a prime opportunity to get their offense going. The New England Patriots’ pass defense ranked last in the league. They struggled against deep passes in particular. Unfortunately, the Steelers didn’t take advantage of that weakness. Most of Aaron Rodgers’ passes came in the short to intermediate area. Ben Roethlisberger offered a theory on why the Steelers aren’t taking many shots downfield.
“I think that the Steelers are afraid to take shots down the field because that forces your quarterback to stay in the pocket and hold it a little bit longer,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin’ podcast. “And I don’t think the [offensive] line is playing well enough to do that.
“I think Aaron [Rodgers] is getting the ball out of his hands because he doesn’t trust what’s going on. Again, my opinion, maybe trusting is the wrong [word], but he’s been getting hit. No sacks, congratulations. Aaron still got hit a bunch.”
This offseason, the Steelers’ offense underwent changes that made it seem like they’d be able to stress defenses downfield. Rodgers is 41 years old, but his arm is still strong. Also, the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf, one of the most unique deep threats in the league.
The two of them should be connecting early and often on deep passes. They seem like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. Week 3 wasn’t the first time this season that the Steelers have neglected the long ball. Rodgers had a nice game in Week 1, but many of his yards came from receivers running after the catch. That included passes to Metcalf.
Is Roethlisberger correct in saying that the Steelers are afraid to throw downfield? It’s tough to say. They’re aware of their offensive line’s early struggles. While Rodgers didn’t get sacked in Week 3, he did get hit a few times. The Steelers’ game plan seemed to minimize opportunities for the Patriots’ pass rush to get home, too.
The Steelers’ offensive line is young and unproven. Also, Rodgers is 41 years old. Therefore, it isn’t the worst decision to not force Rodgers to throw downfield a lot. He played every game last year, but there’s no reason to test his durability.
However, the Steelers’ offense needs to be more explosive, and getting the deep ball more involved would help with that. They have the tools to implement that as part of their offense. Maybe they are afraid to put Rodgers in danger. If their offense continues struggling, they might want to consider ripping that Band-Aid off.
