The Pittsburgh Steelers may have defeated the New England Patriots in Week 3, but that has not stopped fans from showing concerns about a lot of different aspects of the team. For starters, the defense was very feast-or-famine. When they were not getting turnovers, they were giving up chunk play after chunk play. Meanwhile, the Steelers had just over 200 yards of total offense, and they needed the two short field drives they got to score. It's never a good sign when you need a +4 turnover margin to just barely win a game.
Karl Roster / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Derrick Harmon goes after New England Patriots' quarterback Drake Maye.
While hosting his show Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger explained his reasoning for why the Steelers' offense is so predictable, leading to them being unable to take many the deep shots downfield.
"I think the Steelers are afraid to take shots down the field because that forces your quarterback to stay in the pocket and hold it a little bit longer, and I don’t think line's playing well enough to do that," Roethlisberger said. "I think Aaron’s [Rodgers] getting the ball out of his hands because he doesn’t trust what’s going on."
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has always been very picky about what he wants and what makes him comfortable. If this offensive line is not making him comfortable, then he will do everything he can to make up for what they lack. In this case, that means getting the ball out quickly and hitting the checkdowns with his second read, as opposed to letting the play develop and getting a man open deep downfield.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers prepares to throw downfield vs the Seattle Seahawks.
Roethlisberger continues on to talk about exactly what the issues are and how they could be alleviated, including demanding more chips and explaining particular issues with left tackle Broderick Jones. Either way, something needs to be done if the Steelers want to get everything out of Rodgers that they possibly could. He's 41, so it's not like he wants his body taking shots ever few dropbacks.
Earlier on Tuesday, Head Coach Mike Tomlin said the exact opposite thing. In his press conference, he gave a very confident "no" when asked if the pass protection is affecting the play-calling. Maybe he is trying to avoid calling out his players publicly, or maybe Rodgers is just not willing to let the full play work itself out in fear of taking another hit -- so he just finds his running back in the flat as often as he can.
Steelers' Rodgers May Have Overcorrected A Major Issue
In Week 2, it seemed like Rodgers held the ball for way too long on a handful of snaps, leading to some sacks and quarterback hits. That could have prompted him to get the ball out of his hand sooner than he wanted to in Week 3 and cause more issues. It's all about balance in the NFL. Rodgers needs to get back into the mindset of figuring out when to hold the ball and when to get rid of it quickly.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers during a game against the New York Jets in 2025.
Either way, the offensive line is going to be a talking point all throughout the 2025 season. When you spend back-to-back first-round picks and a second-rounder on that unit, it can't be the reason why the offense keeps stalling. Nobody is going to take this team seriously if the quarterback is uncomfortable in the pocket and unwilling to hold the ball long enough to let a play develop.
While Jones still needs to grow, it's not all on him. The whole unit needs to gel together, and they just have not been able to do that through the first three weeks of 2025. Even with all the talent on the defensive side of the ball, the offensive line could be the difference between winning a playoff game and missing the playoffs entirely if they keep stagnating.
What do you think about Roethlisberger's take on the offensive struggles so far? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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