Big Ben must show the world just how good he is
Steelers need Roethlisberger to carry offense on his shoulders against Jags
The Steelers can talk the talk.
But can they walk the walk?
Pittsburgh heads into the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Jaguars with homefield advantage and little else. The Steelers have lost 3 of their last 4 and were beaten 29-22 at home by the Jags in Week 15 as running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor ran with ease.
Linebacker Larry Foote is not afraid of facing the Jaguars again. “I love it," Foote said. "You hear everybody around the league talking, 'I'm scared of Jacksonville. I don't want to play Jacksonville.' But I'm happy about it. You know we're going to have a chip on our shoulder. People aren't talking about us and we like that. We've got a lot of spirit in this locker room and we're going to show it Saturday night."
That’s nice, but the Steelers haven’t stopped anyone since defensive end Aaron Smith suffered a torn biceps in the Week 14 loss at New England.
Foote may be blustering, but if the Steelers are going to overcome the Jaguars it’s going to be on the shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben broke Terry Bradshaw’s record for TD passes in a season (29) and bettered his own passer rating record with a mark of 104.2. No quarterback in the league with his numbers and pedigree — he led the Steelers to the Super Bowl just two years ago — is respected less than Roethlisberger.
That extends to his own team. Linebacker James Harrison was voted the team MVP award despite Roethlisberger’s numbers. Roethlisberger finished second in the league to Tom Brady with a passer rating of 104.1. Much like Brady, Roethlisberger’s main attribute is his accuracy. Because he carries so much size and weight and can shake off tacklers in the pocket and find secondary receivers, many scouts look at Roethlisberger as a supersized pocket presence who overpowers his opponents. While that may be true on occasion, none of it would matter if he were not an accurate passer.
Roethlisberger completed 264-of-404 passes for 3,154 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He had an excellent complementary running game with Willie Parker for most of the season, but the running game suffered a huge blow when the speedy running back broke his leg in the Steelers’ Week 16 win over the Rams. Najeh Davenport is next in line and has some ability, but lacks the game-changing speed and consistency of Parker.
The Steelers are not conceding anything without Parker. Davenport had 167 yards of total offense against St. Louis. However, the Jaguars feature a much more physical defense and nothing in Davenport’s history suggests that he will give as good as he gets when he faces a defense that enjoys punishing an opponent.
That means Roethlisberger will have to carry the offense on his shoulders. It won’t be easy, considering that the Steelers have a decent but not great group of receivers. But Roethlisberger is most likely going to have to keep on firing because the defense has lost its way.
The Steelers have been known for their physical play for generations, but their tackling in general and their run defense in particular has fallen off the charts in recent weeks. That’s not apparent looking at the run defense numbers for the season. Pittsburgh allowed 89.9 rushing yards per game, finishing 3rd behind Minnesota and Baltimore. However, in the final 3 games of the season, the Steelers gave up 494 rushing yards.
That plays right into the Jaguars strategy. While David Garrard has had a big season of his own — 3rd in passer rating — it’s the running of Jones-Drew and Taylor that defines the offense and both men rested in the season finale against Houston. The Jaguars rushed for 224 yards in their win at Pittsburgh in December.
Barring miserable weather, the game appears to have high-scoring potential. Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and tight end Heath Miller have the potential to rip holes in any defense. Holmes is the home run hitter who caught 52 passes for 942 yards and 8 touchdowns, but it is Ward who Roethlisberger puts in his sights when the Steelers need a big play. Even at the age of 35, Ward refuses to make any accommodations in his style of play. He continues to block like a demon and sell out on every pass that comes his way. It seems like he will continue to play until his body gives out.
Miller had 47 catches and is one of the better tight ends in the game. Nate Washington is often overlooked and can get downfield very well for a 4th receiver. He had 5 TD catches this year.
Roethlisberger is confident that his weapons are more than sufficient to trade points with the Jags and advance to a likely meeting with the Patriots in the divisional playoffs. However, he must get some cooperation from an offensive line that has given up 47 sacks. That’s something that Roethlisberger can’t overcome on his own, no matter how productive he has been this season.
If the Steelers are going to advance in the postseason, the run defense must improve, the blocking has to be solid and Big Ben has to show the world just how good he is — once again.