The Steelers are doing a good job of not putting Ben Roethlisberger in harm's way. The quarterback hasn't been sacked in five games and a span of 253 pass attempts.
That all started around the time when Roethlisberger began calling more of the plays on the field, or playing "backyard football," as the quarterback referred to it after it led to a comeback in a 28-24 win at Baltimore Nov. 1.
Since then, the Steelers have increasingly used that package, with Roethlisberger largely directing the offense, with some success. But it's also come at a cost.
Roethlisberger has attempted 238 passes in the Steelers' past five games, an average of 47.6 per game. That has included 51 and 53 pass attempts in the past two games, which have led to just three offensive touchdowns, including two in 23-17 loss Monday night to Washington, the team's first defeat this season.
That loss dropped the Steelers to 11-1, and though they still hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff race, their margin of error has decreased. They are now tied with the Chiefs (11-1) for the top spot in the AFC and hold a two-game lead over the Browns (9-3) atop the AFC North standings as they head to Buffalo next Sunday to play the Bills (9-3).
It might be time for Mike Tomlin to have a heart-to-heart talk with the team's offensive coordinator. And in this case, the offensive coordinator isn't Randy Fichtner, the man who holds that title, but Roethlisberger himself.
"We’re open to doing anything that’s required for us to find the fluidity we once had, and that’s just a part of it," Tomlin said when asked if he would consider changing who is calling plays and how they are called. "We have to maintain fluidity as players available to you change. That’s one of the things that I really have been focused on and that’s really come clear to me. We just have to become a more solid group.
"The quality of our performance can’t depend on the presence of a Maurkice Pouncey or a James Conner or a Vance McDonald and guys like that. We’ve lost fluidity since we missed some of those guys. To be quite honest with you, that pisses me off because we have to be the type of group that endures regardless of who is available."
That could mean changes to how they do things offensively and who they do it with.
There's no doubt the Steelers have missed not having Pouncey and Conner the past two games with both on the Reserve/COVID-19 List, an issue that caused McDonald to miss two games earlier this season.
But to Tomlin's point, missing your Pro Bowl center or running back or tight end can't be an excuse for failure. Both are expected to be activated this week against the Bills.
What has become apparent is he Steelers have increasingly given Roethlisberger free rein over the offense. And it's led to a big increase in passing and less running.
That came to a head Monday night when the Steelers ran the ball just 14 times for a season-low 21 yards and were unable to gain a yard on seven plays, including five from the Washington 1, in the second quarter and twice at the Washington 28 with just under five minutes remaining in the game.
"If you can’t get a yard in our game, you don’t deserve to win," Tomlin said Tuesday. "That’s the nuts and bolts elements of football, the physicality element of football. We didn’t meet that challenge, so we have some work to do in that area."
The problem might stem from the fact the team has lost some of its physicality at the point of attack given the fact it rarely runs the ball.
With Roethlisberger calling most of shots over the past five games, the Steelers have run the ball an average of just 19.8 times per game. And they've averaged just 57 rushing yards in those contests. In their first seven games, they averaged 118 yards rushing per game on 28.6 rushing attempts.
And more passing hasn't led to an increase in scoring. The Steelers have averaged 24.6 points per game the last five games after putting up 30.1 points per game in their first seven games.
Rookie running back Anthony McFarland, who along with Benny Snell was subbing for Conner, led the team with four carries for 15 yards against Washington. He had a 7-yard run in the first quarter that was followed by a run for a 1-yard loss and then an incompletion that led to a punt. Then, he had a 9-yard run to open a possession at the end of the third quarter, and the Steelers' next 11 plays were passes.
The Steelers didn't run the ball again in the game until attempting a draw with Snell on third-and-10 that wound up being a 2-yard loss with 13:09 left in the fourth quarter. They didn't run the ball again. This in a game in which they led or were tied until Washington kicked a go-ahead field goal with 2:04 remaining in the game to take its first lead.
It's difficult for an offensive line to be physical in short-yardage situations when the majority of its time is spent pass blocking. It's tough for running backs to find any kind of game flow when they get one carry every 10 to 15 plays.
"The big thing for us is to examine why and get back to the lab and recapture some of the rhythm that we’ve had in those situational moments throughout the year," Tomlin said. "There have been times during the year where we haven’t run the ball as good as we would like, but even in the midst of those in situational moments, we have been solid."
To Tomlin's point, Conner is 7-of-11 converting first downs in short-yardage situations this season, gaining 41 yards. Snell is 9-of-14 for 29 yards in those same situations, while McFarland, more of a scat back, is 0-for-2.
So, overall, the Steelers have converted 16-of-27 runs on third-and-short or fourth-and-short into first downs or touchdowns. But the failures in those situations against Washington were magnified by the fact the team lost.
"We didn’t meet that challenge, so we have some work to do in that area," Tomlin said.
Dropped passes also have been an issue. Steelers receivers have dropped 27 passes this season, with 17 of those coming in the past two games. Diontae Johnson leads the team with seven drops, while tight end Eric Ebron is second with five and rookie Chase Claypool third with four.
Tomlin was asked what he can do to combat that.
"They can catch the ball or they can get replaced by those who will catch it. It’s just as simple as that," he said. "As I have often said, I expect guys to make routine plays routinely. When there is a pattern of that not happening, then we have to look at who we are throwing the ball to.
"The coaching of catching the football for those who are employed to do it at this level is not something that I have a lot of patience for, it’s not something that any of us have a lot of patience for. Those guys job is to catch the football, particularly routine ones. Where there’s a pattern, you should expect to see to see less opportunities. That is just fair, that’s just part of this business and what this game is about."
Lately, the drops have come in bunches, again leading to that disjointed nature of the offense.
It's something the team needs to solve sooner rather than later. And perhaps getting back to some of the basics, along with getting Pouncey and Conner back, will help that.
"We're getting to that point of the season when you've got to be sharp in all areas, your whole team, both sides of the ball, all that stuff," Roethlisberger said Monday night. "Right now, we're not great on offense. We're not bad. I'd say we're a little above average. B, B-minus right now. So, there's plenty of room for improvement."