Ben Roethlisberger has run into his fair share of problems when facing the Ravens since he exploded for six touchdown passes in 2014 at Heinz Field.
Part of that has to do with the when and how he targets Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.
We saw what happened earlier in the season in Baltimore, the offense was completely inept until late in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers' frustration on offense stemmed from multiple problems, but the most blatant were their inability to run the ball and Roethlisberger's stagnated passing game with Brown and company.
The Ravens double- and triple-covered Brown wherever he went, and that was often when Roethlisberger would be looking for his elite receiver for a big play; staring down Brown in hope for him to find a way to get open.
But that was not the case for the entire game, and a study of the when and how it is applied could lead to the answer for the Steelers' passing game to get going on Christmas day:
DESPERATE DOWNS
The Ravens have a defense that operates with very similar philosophies as the Steelers; their first priority is to stop the run on early downs, then force you into predictable passing situations where their pass rushers and defensive backs aren't guessing at what the offense is trying to do.
The Ravens fulfilled that ideology with how they played the Steelers last time. Bell never got going on the ground and Roethlisberger was forced into several predictable situations. This was one of many third downs in which the Steelers needed about 10 or more yards, giving the Ravens' defense an advantage of knowing what to expect.
Roethlisberger especially plays into their hands because he stares down Brown for almost the entire play. Watch his head on the play below:
Though he starts looking over the middle, he quickly moves to Brown and sticks with him for most of the play until he checks down to Bell. Notice how the Ravens' defenders react in their zones and blanket Brown with a linebacker, a cornerback and a safety all shading to Brown.
If Roethlisberger goes through his progressions, he would see Eli Rogers sitting at the first-down marker with a lot of space to work to keep the drive alive. But this is the problem that Roethlisberger often puts himself in, and the Ravens know it.
Even when it works out sometimes, the Ravens can still use covering Roethlisberger's dependence to make the Steelers' chances of converting major situations lower. Watch the first touchdown the Steelers scored from their last matchup:
It's fourth-and-16, so the Ravens know the Steelers have to throw deep and their best threat is Brown. This allows them to put a safety and a cornerback on him for the entire play. Roethlisberger's innate ability to make something happen after the play breaks down gets the job done, but it's not something that can be relied upon for consistent success.
This also something that Roethlisberger should be used to, considering it's exactly what the Ravens have done for years now. Even back in 2014, the Ravens used the same philosophy.
Roethlisberger is comfortable with staring down Brown in third-and-long situations because of their past success. Back in that major performance from 2014, Brown's big touchdown came while Roethlisberger stared down Brown, but he ran his route so well that the Ravens' secondary was unable to stop him:
While these plays are amazing when they happen, the Steelers' can't be dependent for this to happen in big situations when defenses can expect it.
Testing double coverage without examining all your options can lead to disaster more often than not, and it has been a major factor in why the Steelers have lost four in a row to the Ravens. In three of those games featuring Roethlisberger, he has thrown two touchdowns and five interceptions.
TARGET EARLY
One thing the Steelers had found a way to do in their 2014 win was to get the ball in the hands of Brown on earlier downs. This is when the Ravens aren't keying into Brown and are accounting for the multiple possibilities of running plays, short passes and making sure that each receiving option for Roethlisberger is accounted for.
Spreading them out like that will get Brown those prime opportunities to take advantage of the Ravens' scheme. Take this first down play from the 2014 game, when Brown gets open over the middle:
Plays like this aren't long timing plays that the Ravens key on.
The success of the play breaks off a 15-yard gain and keeps the Ravens' defense from locking into stopping Bell and the ground game. Enough of these plays test the fortitude of the defense and makes them have to think about what is coming next.
Take the first play from their last game, Roethlisberger throws the ball away, but he never sees that Brown gets the one-on-one matchup you want to see:
Brown is at the bottom of your screen on this play and works against a solo cornerback deep down the field. The safety to his side has to honor Sammie Coates' post pattern over the middle.
These are the times when Roethlisberger should feel free to take the chances on Brown. The Ravens won't be able to afford to double cover him early because they are playing a base defense that is designed to account for the run game and multiple possibilities, not just Brown going deep down the field.
Forcing the Ravens to guess gives them more opportunities to make mistakes. The more opportunities to make mistakes gives the offense more openings for big plays.
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