Ben Roethlisberger has long loved to run the no-huddle offense, something that allows him to quickly get to the line of scrimmage, assess what the defense is in and then direct the offense from there.
But with so many young offensive players -- the Steelers start four rookies on that side of the ball -- and new starters, it hasn't been much of a weapon this season. At least not until Sunday's 41-37 loss to the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Down 17 points late in the third quarter, the Steelers turned to their no-huddle for large portions of the remainder of the loss to the Chargers. And the results were startling.
The Steelers ran 12 offensive plays out of the no-huddle against the Chargers, gaining 96 yards. More impressive was the fact the ball hit the ground just one time, as Roethlisberger completed 10 of his 11 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, a passer rating of 132.2, out of that package. Najee Harris also had a run for three yards in the no-huddle.
"The line was able to, for the first time, really kind of do that — tell them protections and have them do it," Roethlisberger said. "Just being able to move the ball. And I also think when you can answer scores, that’s such a big and underrated deal in the NFL. When you can answer a touchdown or a score, I think that’s huge. I think we did that a few times."
Rookie left tackle Dan Moore agreed.
"Definitely. I think (Roethlisberger) noticed that the pace was hurting them a little early in the game," Moore said. "I thought it helped us get some continuity on offense, so it was a good step for us."
But it only works if everyone on the offense is on the same page. And in this game, they were, as Roethlisberger mentioned.
That communication -- or at least not necessarily trusting it -- has been a big reason why the Steelers haven't run more no-huddle to this point in the season. Prior to the game against the Chargers, the Steelers had run just 26 no-huddle snaps through nine games -- according to Pro Football Reference.
Last season, Roethlisberger threw 63 passes out of the no-huddle, completing 50, while throwing three touchdown passes and posting a passer rating of 114.1.
But with rookies at left tackle and center in Moore and Kendrick Green, respectively, and new starters at both guard positions in Kevin Dotson and Trai Turner, the line was the big issue in that regard. Add in the fact the team has a first-year offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, who installed new verbiage this season, and it's not surprising that it took 10 games and a 17-point deficit to get to this point.
After seeing the results last Sunday, the no-huddle could be back on the table as a weapon for the Steelers (5-4-1) when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals (6-4) in a critical AFC North game.
"Definitely," Moore said. "Wearing defenses out. I think that’s a part of our offense, an element of it, definitely."
The only other time the Steelers had run as much no-huddle as they did against the Chargers was in a 24-10 loss to the Bengals in Week 3 in a game in which they played without Diontae Johnson, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Roethlisberger was 4 of 6 for 63 yards in the no-huddle in that game, with Harris picking up one yard on a run and the Bengals also recording a sack in that package.
Like the loss to the Chargers, the Steelers used the no-huddle only out of necessity because they trailed and were trying to catch up.
But Roethlisberger wouldn't mind using it at other times, as well, making it a weapon as it was as recently as 2018 when he attempted 118 no-huddle passes for the season.
When offenses go to a no-huddle attack in the middle of a game, it forces the defense into its defaults. The default might be more Cover-2 or Cover-3 as opposed to the complex looks it might show otherwise. It also gives the offense an opportunity to keep the defense from substituting.
"You’re able to pick the tempo up. You’re able to dictate what the defense is doing, or keep them more plain," Roethlisberger said of the package. "I think that was good. Communication on the road, even though it was a lot of Steelers fans, it was loud. We were able to communicate and things went pretty well."
Against the Bengals, who now have a two-game winning streak against the Steelers after also beating them in Cincinnati last season, that might not be a bad thing.
The Bengals have limited the Steelers to 17 and 10 points in their past two meetings. If there's a process by which the Steelers can figure out a way to put more points on the board, it might not be a bad way to go.
"The last time we played them, it seemed like their defensive philosophy on third-and-short was a lot different. Rush three or four, then just send everybody right at the sticks," Roethlisberger said. "They had quite a few guys just kind of hunkering down right where we wanted to get the first down. Designing some Cover 2 stuff, different things. I think some schematic things could be different, what we’ve seen in the last few games and weeks from them."
But if the Steelers can utilize the no-huddle, even early in the game, it would keep the Bengals more predictable. And much more easy for Roethlisberger to dissect.
"You always want to push the pace," Moore said. "I think that’s a direction we want to go with our offense."
