Ben Roethlisberger had many reasons to resume his career at the age of 38 after shredding elbow ligaments in his right arm last season. One of his more popular responses has been to play with this Steelers defense, which he believes is one of the best he’s ever seen with the Steelers.
And Roethlisberger has played with many great ones over his 17-year career, including two of the franchise’s best ever in 2005 and 2008 when the Steelers won their fifth and sixth Lombardi trophies.
So what’s the perfect offense to complement such a great defense?
“We always talk about being there for each other,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday morning. “The defense was there for us this week when we needed them to be, and it’s probably not going to be the last time. There are going to be weeks when, offensively, we struggle whether that’s because we’re just not playing well, or the defenses are stopping us. We’re going to need the defense to step up and make plays for us.
“And there are going to be weeks when the defense maybe struggles because they’re playing a really good offense, and the offense has to step up. That’s what makes teams special. They step up for each other and they complement each other.”
The offense through two games has been a mixed bag. The Steelers struggled to run the ball for much of the game against the Broncos and went 2 for 12 on third downs, but relied on a few big plays to score some important and timely touchdowns. The victory over the Giants in the opener was similarly spotty with ups and downs throughout the contest.
The inconsistent play has the Steelers smack dab in the middle of the NFL’s offensive rankings. They are 14th in total offense, rushing offense and scoring. And they are 10th in passing.
Not good, not bad, just average.
“Offensively, we haven’t really hit our stride yet,” Roethlisberger said. “And that’s OK. As long as we’re winning football games, that’s the most important thing.”
Teams with great defenses don’t need great offenses to complement them. The 2008 Steelers are probably the best example of that. They were 23rd in rushing, 22nd in total offense, 20th in scoring and 17th in passing. Yet, behind a legendary defense, they won Super Bowl XLIII.
The 2005 Steelers offense was no juggernaut, either. They were 16th in total offense but fifth in rushing and ninth in scoring. They finished the regular season 11-5 and earned the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs before ripping off three consecutive road wins in the playoffs and the Super Bowl XL win over the Seahawks.
Under Bill Cowher in 2005, the Steelers played a little more conservatively on offense. It was Roethlisberger’s second season, and he threw just nine interceptions in 12 games.
It was a different story in 2008 when Mike Tomlin was in his second season as head coach. Roethlisberger took more chances, and he threw 15 interceptions in 16 starts.
Both formulas worked, and Roethlisberger indicated Wednesday that he isn’t locked into developing an identity one way or the other this season. He believes the offense can be flexible from week to week depending upon the opponent.
“When you have a defense like ours turning the ball over is a killer,” he said. “Punting is not a bad thing when you have a defense likes this. The other blade to that sword is you kind of get a little more creative, and you can take more chances because if you do turn it over you trust them to stop them. They did that well for us last week. They made stops. It allows us to trust them more.”
After not committing a turnover in the opening-week win over the Giants, the Steelers committed two turnovers against the Broncos and both allowed the visitors to get back into a game they had no business of being in.
The Steelers led 17-3 and had a first-and-10 at the Broncos 42-yard line on their first drive of the second half. It was an opportunity to bury a fragile Broncos offense that had to turn their backup quarterback in the second quarter after the Steelers defense knocked out starter Drew Lock.
But instead of seizing control of the game, the Steelers offense opened the door for the Broncos to come back. James Conner was dropped for a 2-yard loss on first down and Benny Snell was dropped for a 4-yard loss on second down. On third-and-16, Roethlisberger threw an interception to Justin Simmons, who returned it 40 yards to set up a Broncos field goal early in the third quarter.
The Broncos would make it 17-14 later in the quarter before the Steelers surged back ahead with a touchdown and safety in the early stages of the fourth quarter that made it 26-16 with 10 minutes remaining.
Following Denver’s free kick the Steelers got the ball at the 50-yard line with a chance to put the game away for good. On the first play of the drive, Snell fumbled and the Broncos recovered.
The Broncos capitalized and scored a touchdown to make it 26-21. The Steelers possessed the ball for just 1:35 on their next drive before punting back to the Broncos, who drove all the way to the Steelers 15-yard line before the defense stopped them on fourth down with 1:51 left on the clock.
Fumbles happen. Defenses have to overcome them.
For Roethlisberger, it’s making the right decisions on when to be creative and when to play it smart. In hindsight, his interception was a bad decision that ultimately put his defense in a bad spot.
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Some of the other issues with the offense after two games are tied to Roethlisberger’s fundamentals and mental game, he said. He talked after the game Sunday about trusting his receivers more. He reiterated the point Wednesday after reviewing the game and plans to work hard with Diontae Johnson and the other receivers this week to work those kinks out.
Roethlisberger also is dealing with an added layer to his game this year. He admitted he didn’t always practice proper fundamentals, especially with his footwork. He said it’s important now, though, as he eases back into things after elbow surgery.
At 38, Roethlisberger is proving an old dog can learn new tricks to help his game.
“I’ve gotten away with it in the past without having to be perfect from the ground up and just letting my arm make up for a lot of things, a lot of imperfections if you talk to quarterback people,” Roethlisberger said. “Whether it’s the layoff or the surgery… I feel great. I just need to get in my mind that I can make the throws when I’m not in perfect position to make them. Maybe some of that comes with just not playing a lot of football. I’ve played two games this year and a game and a half last year. That’s three and a half games in two years when you think about it. It will come. If I’m having these issues, and we’re still winning football games, then that’s a plus.”
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