Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Has Major Gripe With Pittsburgh's Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first loss of the 2024 season on Sunday at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. This marks the second straight year where Pittsburgh has left the state of Indiana with a loss. The game got off to an ugly start, as Pittsburgh faced a 17-point deficit in the blink of an eye. Chris Boswell was able to knock in a field goal as time expired at the end of the first half to make the score 17-3, but Pittsburgh's slow start on offense made it difficult for them to grab the victory in the end.

Justin Fields made some mistakes throughout the game, but he was efficient through the air and kept Pittsburgh in the game during the second half. A glaring weakness in the contest was the running game for the Steelers. Najee Harris couldn't get anything going on the ground as the offensive line had serious trouble moving the line of scrimmage. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the game on the most recent episode of his podcast, Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, and he spoke about the clear weakness.

"The other thing that would have helped Fields today is a better run game. I felt like our run game struggled a little bit. I think Naj is doing everything he can, he's being physical, there's just not a lot there. I know that [Cordarrelle] Patterson really had some things happen, I think he's kind of hitting it downhill. He's a different kind of runner in a sense that teams don't know what to expect when he's in there. But Naj is running hard, Naj is getting beat up."

Harris carried the ball 13 times during the loss for just 19 yards, it was one of the worst games that fans have seen from the running back, but it wasn't all his fault. Surely, he probably missed some holes, but on most plays, there was nowhere for him to go. The Colts' run defense was stifling. Harris continued to fight for extra yards, but it didn't do much.

Harris averaged just 1.5 yards per carry in the loss. It was the worst out of all four players who ran the ball for Pittsburgh. Cordarrelle Patterson averaged 7.2 yards per carry before suffering an injury, Aaron Shampklin had one carry for five yards, and Fields ran the ball 10 times for 55 yards. Harris was even called out by the Colts' defense following the contest. Roethlisberger continued on about what a lack of a running game can do to an offense.

"Not having a running game, you're behind the sticks, you're in second and eight, second and nine, second and 10, that's hard to win doing that stuff. But I thought the lack of a running game today, and I don't know why, I'll have to go back and watch it, the lack of a running game really hurt the Steelers today on offense."

Despite the lack of success from the running game, the Steelers still had a productive day on offense, at least in the second half. They had their highest point total of the season, and Fields ran for two touchdowns, throwing for another. They outgained the Colts with 404 yards of total offense, but having an improved run game could have dramatically helped Pittsburgh.

Steelers' Running Game Doesn't Have Much Promise Of Improving

A big reason the running game for Pittsburgh has been struggling is injuries. The offensive line is banged up, as is two of the top three running backs. Pittsburgh will be without James Daniels for the rest of the season, and Isaac Seumalo is still working his way back from a pectoral injury. Rookie Troy Fautanu is also going to miss the rest of the regular season. That's a lot of adversity to overcome on the offensive line alone. 

Add in the fact that Patterson left Sunday's game and was unable to return due to injury is worrisome, and Jaylen Warren is fighting an injury as well. The Steelers will need to rely on Harris to get the ground game going while also hoping Fields continues to improve through the air -- and as a runner.

What did you think of Roethlisberger's critique of the offense? Let us know in the comments below!

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