The Pittsburgh Steelers had the entire nation's eyes on them on Sunday night during Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, and they unfortunately suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas won the game with just under :30 seconds to go on a touchdown on fourth and goal, and all Pittsburgh could do was hope for a miracle with :20 seconds left and no timeouts. Pittsburgh falls to 3-2 on the season after the loss, but the offense is very concerning moving forward.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Justin Fields looks to pass against the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
Pittsburgh's offense especially struggled at the beginning of the game as the unit only managed to put up three points before halftime. They got down the field on their first drive and kicked a field goal, but didn't have much success after that.
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the game on the most recent episode of his podcast, Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger. He spoke about the struggling run game, and what he wished he saw more of in the loss.
"Find other ways to get the ball down the field, and that's what they did on that drive right after [Justin] Fields came out of the blue tent too which is even more surprising. It's like yes, this is what you want to see, these shots down the field. I mean I'll go back earlier in the game, I loved what they did early in the game with that shot Justin took to Connor Heyward, it was a perfect pass. My point in saying this is I thought he was throwing the ball well on that drive, why are we not going back to that more?"
Roethlisberger continued to say that the offensive line struggling may have effected how often the coaching staff wanted to see Justin Fields dropping back to pass. Fields looked good when he was able to throw the ball, but he just needed some receivers to make plays and that didn't happen. Pittsburgh continued to try and run and it just was not working. The running lanes weren't there for Najee Harris, which is a bad sign for the offensive line as the group had that issue in Week 4 as well.
Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Justin Fields gets brought down against the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
The Steelers Need To Use Offensive Weapons Even More According To Ben Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger has been fairly high on Fields since the start of the 2024 season. He has doubled down on the thought that Fields has earned the right to be the starter for the rest of the season, but after the Week 5 loss, many fans would like to see Russell Wilson. Roethlisberger seemed to believe Fields wasn't at fault for the offense's struggles during the loss to the Cowboys, it instead was the game plan and how Arthur Smith used his playmakers.
"Throw the ball when you get the chance. Where are our wide receiver screens? Where are our tight end slip screens? Running back screens? We have alley screens you can throw, like get the ball out of your hands and get it to your playmakers quickly. It's just frustrating sometimes when you're not utilizing the guys."
Roethlisberger clearly didn't see eye to eye with the offensive scheme Sunday night. He was critical over the lack of opportunities George Pickens saw, but that might be a separate issue as the third-year receiver was off of the field a decent amount. Pickens was expected to break out in 2024, but he caught just three passes on Sunday night.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburah Steelers
Steelers' George Pickens makes a catch against the Cowboys.
Roethlisberger seems to continue to believe that Fields should be the starter, but the approach to game planning certainly needs to change. The coaching staff needs to trust Fields to throw the ball - which he has done well in 2024. There also needs to be an emphasis put on getting the ball in playmakers hands like Pickens and Calvin Austin III - who has the speed to take any screen to the opponent's end zone.
What do you think about Roethlisberger's frustrations with the offense? Let us know in the comments below!
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