The Steelers' offense finally exploded for a huge performance when it put up four touchdowns against the Titans in their 40-17 victory last Thursday night. In a season where they had woefully underperformed with an average of 22.7 points per game, ranking 14th in the NFL, there were several signs that the unit is trending upward.
We take a closer look at a few of them in the film room:
ROETHLISBERGER'S TRUST
One aspect of the Steelers' offense that shined through their performance was the level of trust Ben Roethlisberger showed in his teammates. When a player can trust his teammates, it allows him to be more confident and not be pressured into making poor decisions.
One of those decisions came when Roethlisberger was staring down a blitz from the Titans in the second quarter. Wesley Woodyard, highlighted in red, timed his blitz into the A-gap perfectly and was never touched by the Steelers' offensive line. But Le'Veon Bell came to the rescue and was able to stymie Woodyard's blitz just enough to prevent him from getting the sack on Roethlisberger.
What's more, Roethlisberger never once panicked on this play. He had the confidence in Bell coming up from behind him to make this block in order for him to back up and take a step to his left and take a home run shot to Martavis Bryant in the end zone:
While the play ended in an incomplete pass, this was a big sign to me during the game that Roethlisberger was comfortable. He didn't abandon his reads, try to break from the pocket or throw the ball away in panic to preserve the drive on a first down play. He just placed his faith in Bell to pick up the blitz and got in position to chuck the ball up to one of his playmakers.
Beyond Roethlisberger's arm strength, ability to process defenses and his craftiness at keeping plays alive, the Steelers need his leadership to move forward. One instance of Roethlisberger's leadership came on a play in which he was minimally involved.
When Bell had an 8-yard run in the red zone that would initially be called a touchdown, but overturned upon review, I noted that the Steelers substituted Eli Rogers for Bryant in the formation. The Steelers went into a bunch formation in which Rogers would be lined up at the point of the bunch, where he would be at the point of attack for the run play. This was the same formation the Steelers used against the Colts in the red zone with success.
Rogers, highlighted in yellow, not only blocks Logan Ryan and drives him five yards down the field but he also seals Ryan to the outside to create Bell's lane to the end zone. It's brilliant blocking and a fine example of how the Steelers want to run the ball in the red zone:
But what I really liked was how I saw Roethlisberger react after the play. As soon as the officials threw their hands up to signal the score, Roethlisberger jumped up and started pointing right at Rogers emphatically as if to give respect to his receiver for the block he made.
Not only was Roethlisberger aware of the play Rogers made, he was proud of it and knew that he deserved encouragement. Rogers has had a rough season with dropped touchdowns and a fumbled punt, so any positive reinforcement for something he does right could contribute to him bouncing back.
Where Roethlisberger leads in the X's and O's department is what I had the most fun evaluating during and after the game.
The Titans used plenty of different defensive looks, schemes and disguises to hide their plays and confuse the 14-year veteran. What was the most encouraging was how, for most of the game, Roethlisberger was unfazed by what they threw at him.
One example was when he hit Bell out of the flat for a 14-yard gain in the third quarter. Roethlisberger had been able to identify the Titans being in Cover 1, a man coverage scheme which relies upon the defenders being able to stick close to their assigned men.
Roethlisberger knows that due to Bell's position in the backfield that the Titans' alignment would make any linebacker trying to guard him have a long way to go. Bell's quick route into the flat puts a strain on Woodyard to race into position and make a tough tackle. That's a matchup that favors Bell almost every time:
But it wasn't just man coverage schemes that Roethlisberger dissected, it was disguised zone schemes that the Titans used to trick him into mistakes.
One solid example was a 20-yard corner route on which Roethlisberger would connect with Bryant during the third quarter.
Notice how the Titans have a Cover 3/Cover 6 look with their alignment. The three players highlighted in red at the start of the play are typically what a quarterback would use to to read the defense when a safety is standing deep back in the middle of the field.
At the snap of the ball, the safety in the middle of the field spreads to the left side of the field and the Titans switch into a Cover 2 shell defense. The impressive read from Roethlisberger here is that he never once looks fooled that the defense he's facing isn't Cover 2.
The proper read against Cover 2 is to isolate a cornerback guarding the flat and force him to cover one of two receiving options: either the shorter route in front of him or the deeper one behind him. Here, Roethlisberger finds that isolated cornerback lined up in front of Bryant, highlighted in yellow, and waits for the cornerback to commit to Bell underneath before making an open throw to Bryant:
If that wasn't a sign that Roethlisberger was in the zone, the rest of his play that night surely confirmed it. When he's at his best, you see him making confident throws into the softer parts of defenses and throwing perfectly timed passes.
What might have been the best example of perfect timing was an out route to Bryant during the fourth quarter. Once again, Roethlisberger identifies the Titans to be in man coverage, and this time is confident that Bryant can win in his route.
On this play, focus on when exactly Roethlisberger releases the ball and how perfectly it is placed for Bryant to make the reception and convert the first down:
The fact that the ball is out of Roethlisberger's hand before Bryant even turns into his out route is what should encourage Steelers fans. The lack of chemistry between Roethlisberger and any of his receivers not named Antonio Brown has been a storyline all season long.
This play right here is Roethlisberger showing solid chemistry with Bryant, the kind that you expect out of two long-time veterans who have practiced their timing relentlessly.
If that kind of chemistry and poise is a sign of what is to come, it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. The Steelers are going to need that offense in their push for home field advantage.
