The Steelers have a new Offensive Coordinator – Ben Roethlisberger. The last two weeks, Big Ben has shined with 12 touchdown passes, an NFL record for touchdowns in back to back games.
The offense has looked a little stagnant running the plays from their actual offensive coordinator Todd Haley. However, when they pick up the speed and let Roethlisberger call the plays on the move, they move the ball with ease, and the numbers at times are mind-boggling.
For Steelers fans who have been accustomed to the last 50 years of smashmouth running the ball down the opponents throat, this offense can be hard to swallow at times. However, the play from Roethlisberger and the receiving corps that is developing week by week is astonishing and cannot be argued with. There are exceptions, of course, when a 3rd-and-2 slant is dropped and the fans scream from the top of their lungs and tweet quickly, “Run the damned ball!”.
Peel the curtain back last night on the Steelers vs. Ravens game and take a deep look at the numbers:
- The Steelers threw the ball 40 times while running the ball 25 times.
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The Steelers gained 321 yards through the air and 55 yards on the ground.
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The Steelers had 13 first downs via the air and 4 via the ground (5 from penalties)
Now, the pass game still features Antonio Brown and well it should, since he may be the best receiver in the NFL He is receiving almost 70% of his targets, and on Sunday night, he caught 11 passes for 144 yards and 1 TD while being targeted 16 times.
The other wide receivers also stepped up in the game against Baltimore, with eight players catching the ball and five different players catching a touchdown (three WR’s, one TE, and one RB).
The Steelers running backs only amassed 55 yards on 25 carries, but that did not stop them from being able to beat their rivals by 20 points.
Perhaps it’s time for Todd Haley to take his headset off, scream encouragement, pat the players on the helmet as they come off the field, and give the controls of the game over to Big Ben and let him work his magic.
(Featured image: USA Today/Charles LeClaire)
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