Ben Roethlisberger has a torn meniscus and is having surgery this morning. He is not expected to play against the Patriots Sunday at Heinz Field.
The Steelers have a bye week after the Patriots so it’s entirely possible Roethlisberger will only miss one game. Regardless of Roethlisberger’s timetable, the Steelers need to have more of a run-first mentality in the short- and long-term.
Le’Veon Bell only had 16 touches against the Dolphins. Only 10 of those were running plays. That’s far too few for the player who is regarded by many as the best running back in the game.
The Steelers have invested boatloads of money into their offensive line in recent years. They made Maurkice Pouncey one of the highest-paid centers in the game in 2014. They made David DeCastro the second-highest paid guard in the league this summer. They pay Marcus Gilbert handsomely.
It’s certainly time to lean on them this week, and it might not be a bad idea to get more serious about running after Roethlisberger returns.
Look at what the Miami Dolphins did to the Steelers with a rookie running back Sunday. Someone named Jay Ajayi rushed for 204 yards against a rush defense that had been ranked among the top five in the league.
Look at what the Dallas Cowboys have done all season with rookie Ezekiel Elliott.
Look at what the Buffalo Bills are doing with LeSean McCoy, who had 140 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers Sunday.
The Steelers need to take cue from the Cowboys and Bills, who have won four games in a row. It can open up your offense with play-action passing, a lot art for the Steelers. It can ease up on the double coverage of your All-Pro receivers. It can help your turnover-prone quarterback when he returns to full health.
This week, they’ll need to do it out of necessity.
With Landry Jones taking the reins of the offense the Steelers need to turn back the clock and get back to the running game.
The offensive line has been banged up. Gilbert missed a second consecutive game and his status for the Patriots game is up in the air. It’s all the more reason to lean on Pouncey, DeCastro and Co. against the Patriots.
The offensive line hasn’t protected Roethlisberger very well. The much-maligned Dolphins defensive line pressured him all day and sacked him twice. At the end of the game they were rag-dolling him. The best way to defend against that in the future is by running the ball.
Making Bell the focal point of the offense has the potential to put the offense in more favorable down and distances.That will be huge against the Patriots. It also might free Brown from the double coverage he is facing. If opposing defenses have to commit more defenders to the box to stop Bell it will leave someone with one-on-one coverage in the secondary. If it’s not Brown, it’ll be someone else.
The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game with the worst run defense in the NFL, and they didn’t commit more defenders to contain Bell.
Why?
Because the Steelers refused to hand the ball off to him on a consistent basis.
The Patriots are the best team in the AFC, and Bill Belichick is famous for taking away your best player. Without Roethlisberger available, there won’t be a need to take Brown out of the game so he’ll turn his attention to Bell.
The Steelers can’t be deterred. The only chance they have to win this game is if Bell runs wild. And the only way that happens is if the coaches put the game in the hands of the offensive line.
Seven weeks into the season, it’s time for them to start earning their money.
First Published: October 17, 2016, 11:31 a.m.
