Big Ben cools down in Week 4
Quarterback, receivers seem out of sync in setback Key matchup | Ben Roethlisberger vs. Ravens pass defense
It had the look of a familiar script: The Steelers fall behind by several touchdowns in the first quarter and turn to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to bail them out from the hole.
And, for at least one half, the script followed a familiar flow: Roethlisberger bringing his team back from at least a 14-point deficit to tie the score.
But, while Sunday night’s loss, 26-14, at Heinz Field to the Baltimore Ravens did end like all the others, it featured one major change to the blueprint.
After a first half in which he threw for 224 yards and led a masterful touchdown drive right before halftime for the third game in a row, Roethlisberger was reduced to mere mortal status in the second half.
He completed just 7 of 15 passes for 50 yards with an interception after halftime, ending his streak of 300-yard passing games and failing to generate any points in the second half for the second game in a row.
“I just didn’t make enough plays,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ll take ownership on that. That’s squarely on me. I apologize to the fans and my teammates.”
Even though he brought the Steelers back from a 14-0 firstquarter deficit to tie the score on a 26-yard touchdown throw to Antonio Brown, it was a struggle for most of the night against a Ravens defense that ranked second in the league in pass defense.
The Steelers converted just 1 of 9 third-down chances in the first half and just 2 of 12 for the game. Meanwhile, the Ravens converted 6 of 9 third-down chances in the second half.
Because of their third-down in- efficiency, and because Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense possessed the ball for nearly 22 minutes in the second half, the Steelers ran only 23 plays after halftime — their fewest in any half this season. “We were terrible on third down and that’s on me,” Roethlisberger said.
In their past three games at Heinz Field, including their playoff loss to Jacksonville last season, the Steelers have been outscored in the first quarter, 49-0. That has forced Roethlisberger to abandon the running game and attack with the pass just to get back in the game.
But, unlike the Jaguars game, when he threw for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns, or the Kansas City game in Week 2, when he rallied the Steelers from a 21-0 deficit with 452 yards and 3 touchdowns, Roethlisberger could not do the same against the Ravens. It didn’t matter that he had been averaging 363 yards passing in the first three games.
“They were just making more plays than we made,” Roethlisberger said. “I haven’t played well enough. I just got to play better.”
The Ravens took away the deep middle of the field, forcing a lot of underneath throws to wide receiver Ryan Switzer, who caught 7 catches for only 32 yards. They had 10 passes defensed, including three by linebacker/safety Anthony Levine, who also had a late interception.
Levine spent most of the second half just sitting in the middle of the field as though he were waiting for the 56C to McKeesport. And yet Roethlisberger kept trying to thread passes into the coverage, trying to make something happen.
“We couldn’t get any rhythm,” Switzer said. “It was a weird second half. It felt like we did everything right. We just didn’t connect for some reason.”
Brown, who had 4 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in the first half, had a single catch after halftime for a mere 5 yards. Brown was targeted 11 times, meaning more than half of his attempts resulted in incompletions.
Asked if he wasn’t on the same page with his All-Pro receiver, Roethlisberger said: “I don’t think I’m on the same page with anyone right now. It’s a bad day at the office. I had one today. I promise I’ll be back to play better.”