Steelers In 2023 "May Not Have" Reliable No Huddle Offense Says Ben Roethlisberger

Things quickly changed for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023 after a brutal loss at home to the Arizona Cardinals. On top of that, starting quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a rather serious ankle injury and could miss the rest of December following "tightrope surgery." His backup, Mitch Trubisky, will be tasked with stepping in with a critical job of getting the franchise into the playoffs after missing out in 2022. Many hoped for a drastic change in offensive approach after the firing of Matt Canada, but the unit has only scored 26 points in two games since he was let go, which is far from comforting for fans.

The Steelers will host the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football in a must-win game. The Patriots sit at 2-10 and a loss would not just be catastrophic for playoff hopes, but it could potentially put Mike Tomlin officially on the hot seat. It will be interesting to see what the offense's game plan is on a short week and against a solid defense that has only 26 points in their last three contests.

Future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger discussed the upcoming matchup on Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger with his co-host, Spencer Te'o. The former Super Bowl champion was asked about short weeks and if simplifying the playbook could be a good thing for an offense that clearly still has not found its identity. Roethlisberger explained how it operated when he was leading the way on offense.

"We would go into a game with a play sheet. The front of it would be like the plays and the backside would be the no huddle plays. Going into a week like this, we'd take a few of the front sheet of like new plays and we'd be like, 'This is a no huddle week. We're using the back of this play sheet and this is what we're doing.'"

Many fans remember how dominant Roethlisberger when he was calling the no huddle, especially in his final year when it got to the fourth quarter. He seemed to have disregarded Canada's plays down the stretch in critical moments.

Roethlisberger wanted to touch on the Steelers in 2023 when it comes to the no huddle. He knows that his teams of the past had strong options when rushing the offense, but he's not all that sure that exists in the present day.

"I don't know if it's the same thing they have that we had. We had that no huddle stuff we could rely on all the time. They may not have that," Roethlisberger said. 

It's concerning that Roethlisberger has that analysis, but not surprising. Since he retired, there hasn't been much of an effective no huddle approach other than late in the fourth quarter. It doesn't seem as if the offensive game plan ever incorporates any kind of surprise element. It will be interesting to see if that changes with a more experienced signal-caller in Trubisky leading the way.

A Steelers Loss Against New England Could Officially Put Tomlin On The Hot Seat

Pittsburgh already lost to a two-win team in Week 13. They take on another, at home, in Week 14. The locker room seems to be in disarray and one has to wonder if a bad loss to the Patriots will have Art Rooney II thinking about a potential coaching change (or trade). He has had a great 17-year run in the Steel City, but back-to-back losses against two of the worst NFL teams in December would be a horrible way to start the playoff push. Time will tell if the Steelers are up for the task.

Do you think that the Steelers lack any kind of no huddle offense? Let us know in the comments below!

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