Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Believes Arthur Smith Made A Big Mistake During Win In Las Vegas

The Pittsburgh Steelers bounced back with a dominant 32-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. This win was crucial as the Steelers were coming off back-to-back losses, both by just three points. With the road win, Pittsburgh improved to 4-2, and there were plenty of reasons to be excited about their performance.

Justin Fields showcased his mobility, rushing for two touchdowns and gaining 59 yards on 11 carries. While he wasn’t overly effective through the air, Fields delivered key throws when needed. Najee Harris also had a breakout game, rushing for his first touchdown of the season. He carried the ball 14 times for 106 yards, putting on a clinic in the backfield.

The Steelers' defense rebounded well after two rough games. Although the Raiders aren't seen as a strong team, a win in the NFL is always something to celebrate, especially in such a convincing fashion. However, there was one play that left Steeler Nation frustrated.

On 2nd & 10, Fields handed the ball to Aaron Shampklin, who then pitched it to Pat Freiermuth, who threw it back to Fields. The play was quickly blown up, resulting in a big sack and stalling the drive. Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger later commented on his podcast that someone should have killed the play before it unfolded.

"That’s a situation where I would think either you want a couple of things to happen. You want your quarterback to have the ability to kill it. Like kill, kill kill, which means that craziness is off, we are now going to just hand it off and run it. That’s what we would do."

Roethlisberger stated that he believes Fields should have killed the play, but it was revealed that Fields doesn't currently have the authority to change plays at the line of scrimmage. 

Aware of this, Roethlisberger added that if Fields doesn’t have that ability, the blame falls on Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith for not making the adjustment before the play.

"You’d like your coordinator to be yelling at Coach [Mike] Tomlin, 'Call timeout, this does not look good.' Or if you are Justin, 'Hey, this doesn’t look good, call a timeout.'"

Roethlisberger went on to explain why failing to kill a play like that can be so damaging to a drive. 

"You can’t afford for that play to get blown for minus 10 or 15 yards. That’s a play where maybe you run it on first down after a big play or a second and short. Something to where if it does lose yards you still have a chance… In this game when you see those guys coming, you got to have some out."

When a play is clearly about to be sniffed out, failing to adjust can result in a significant loss of yardage, stalling momentum and leaving the offense in a tough spot to recover. That's exactly what happened—the Steelers were forced into a difficult third down and eventually had to punt.

Had that play not unfolded the way it did, and if Fields hadn't immediately taken a sack, the Steelers might have extended their drive and potentially come away with points. It’s a simple concept, but it raises concerns about the coaching staff's lack of trust in Fields to audible out of such plays when they’re clearly doomed.

Steelers' Offense Tried To Get Creative

While the play got lost in the excitement of the Steelers' dominant win, it could have been a game-changer in a closer contest. Steelers fans didn't mind seeing the offense get creative, but it was frustrating to see a drive killed by such a misstep. It was the right idea but just not the right time to call that play.

Though the offense showed improvement, it's still very much a work in progress. Roethlisberger suggested that if Fields couldn’t change the play, it should’ve been up to Smith to stop it before it blew up. It'll be interesting to see if the offense tries anymore plays like that going forward.

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