Exploits league’s worst pass defense by spreading ball around
INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner compared Ben Roethlisberger the other day to a point guard in basketball, saying his $100 million quarterback doesn’t need to wear a superhero’s cape all the time.
Well, if he is a point guard, he is more Magic Johnson, capable of taking the game over himself when he absolutely has to. He is not John Stockton, preferring to let someone else win the game.
When the Steelers needed him most Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, the old Ben Roethlisberger put on his cape and showed he is still the player around whom the offense revolves. And he did it with a second half against the Indianapolis Colts that was every bit as good as the first half was downright atrocious.
And he did it with a flawless performance on the winning field goal drive that was reminiscent of the old Ben Roethlisberger.
“That’s something special right there,” said tight end Vance McDonald, who made his first touchdown catch with the Steelers a significant one. “That’s why he’s been doing it for as long as he has. It’s really fun to be a part of.”
McDonald was among the many receivers who made big plays in the second half. His 7-yard touchdown catch, in which he was wide open in the right side of the end zone, helped bring the Steelers all the way back from a 17-3 deficit with 11:52 remaining.
But the Steelers needed a twopoint conversion to tie the score at 17-17, and Martavis Bryant — remember him? — provided that when he caught a Roethlisberger bullet crossing the end zone.
Bryant wasn’t done. On the winning After completing just three of his first nine passes for 25 yards Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger completed 16 of his next 22 attempts for 211 yards and two touchdowns. field-goal drive, he converted a third-and-4 from his 31 with a 19-yard catch-and-run on a shallow crossing route against man coverage — a play Bryant said the Steelers work on a lot as part of their two-minute offense
“It paid off in a crucial moment,” Bryant said.
“That play was enormous for us,” coach Mike Tomlin said.
It was a big moment for Bryant, who was in his first game back after being inactive in Detroit as punishment for his social media tweets. Bryant, though, downplayed any personal satisfaction afterward in the locker room.
“It feels great to win, man,” Bryant said. “It’s been a long road. We still got a long way to go and a lot of work ahead. It feels good to get this win but it’s on to next one.”
One play after Bryant’s catch, Antonio Brown caught a short pass from Roethlisberger on a play that was intended for Bryant or Le’Veon Bell on the front side. When that wasn’t available, Roethlisberger came back to his All-Pro receiver, who ran to the Colts 18 for a 32-yard gain with 35 seconds remaining.
Until then, it was a quiet day for Brown. He had only two catches for 15 yards in the first half, misjudged a deep pass he said he lost in the lights, and was shut out in the second half until that big gainer.
“It’s a frustrating day but you got to stay positive and work within the game,” Brown said. “That’s when you got to come through. That’s why I’m glad I did come through and make the catch. We couldn’t get anything going.”
One of the players who continues to come through is rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught a touchdown for the third game in a row — seven plays after he started the series with a 44-yard reception over cornerback Pierre Desir on a go route down the right sideline.
What’s more, he converted a third-and-12 with a 20-yard catch over the middle on the drive that ended when Chris Boswell’s 37-yard field goal hit the right upright.
“I think it’s great, it’s part of our offense, that everyone can make plays no matter who’s making them,” Smith-Schuster said.
Said Brown: “All the guys stepped up and pitched in today. If we’re going to be the team we desire to be, we’re going to need that kind of performance from every guy on our offense. We count on everyone in a helmet. It’s great we got a lot of production from everyone today.”
But it was Roethlisberger who turned superhero and orchestrated the comeback. After a miserable start in which he completed just three of his first nine passes for 25 yards against the worst pass defense in the league, he completed 16 of his next 22 attempts for 211 yards and two touchdowns. That included a perfect 4 for 4 for 66 yards on the winning drive.
“I’m just happy we were able to find some kind of groove a little bit in the second half, offensively,’ Roethlisberger said.