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The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to pull out a much needed home victory against the, at the time, AFC leading Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers' defense dominated from start to finish by forcing six turnovers and getting to quarterback Daniel Jones for five times for sacks. The offense also got going after a slow start, and they managed to put up a solid performance giving Steeler Nation a well-rounded victory to get optimistic about moving forward.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivers a pass during the Steelers' 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.
Even after such a strong victory over one of the best teams this season, there are still areas where the Steelers could look to improve their play. That improved play won't be coming through player addition via trade, as the deadline has come and gone without any additional reinforcements following their Week 9 victory.
On his most recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger discussed the victory over the Colts and several other topics. One of the topics Roethlisberger focused on was how he would like to see some of the offensive playmakers get the ball at a higher frequency, namely DK Metcalf and Jaylen Warren.
"I would like to see them run it in the goal line," Roethlisberger said. "You got down to the goal line two or three times, why is Warren not getting the ball three or four times?"
These comments come after Warren scored two touchdowns on carries down near the goal line, but there were many other goal line opportunities where he didn't get the ball.
"I am sure people are going to see this and say, 'Ben, last week, you said throw the ball to DK four times.' One or the other, just do something. One or the other. If you want to throw it, then throw it to your monster (Metcalf) down there. It is nothing against Darnell Washington, but Aaron is feeding him a lot. Darnell must be giving him something on the side, giving him cookies or something, because he is throwing the ball to Darnell a lot down there."
In recent weeks, Darnell Washington has become a larger part of the offense as quarterback Aaron Rodgers has continued to target him all over the field and down on the goal line. It was definitely a missed opportunity on fourth and goal early in the game when Rodgers targeted Washington and the ball bounced right off of his chest before Washington managed to get his hands up.
Karl Roser / Steelers.com
Steelers' Darnell Washington makes a catch during camp.
Roethlisberger also mentioned on his podcast that in that fourth and goal scenario, he is throwing the ball to Metcalf, no questions asked.
Throughout the season's first nine weeks, Metcalf is on pace to have one of his lowest receiving total seasons of his career in terms of receptions and receiving yards. While he is currently on pace to score double digit touchdowns, taking advantage of his skill set to rack up yards after the catch in the open field is something the Steelers need to focus on moving forward.
Despite Warren's success this past week on the goal line, he only has a total of 8 rushing touchdowns in his career. Warren runs harder than the majority of the running backs throughout the NFL, but his smaller stature does not make him a prototypical goal line and short yardage running back, which may have contributed to his lack of involvement in the red zone at times.
Steelers' Lack Of Deadline Deals Leave Offense In Development Stage
For weeks, it was rumored that the Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan were looking to make a splash by adding a talented playmaker to the offense. However, that never materialized as the only addition was a practice squad signing, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Evan Siegle / Green Bay Packers
Wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling during his time with the Green Bay Packers.
Since there apparently aren't any reinforcements coming to help bolster the offense, the unit is going to need to continue to grow organically. Second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson has been coming on in recent weeks, but an untimely fumble against the Colts may have him in the doghouse in the short-term. Calvin Austin III also has showed flashes, but no one in the current wide receiver room has proven to be a consistent number two behind Metcalf.
Do you think the Steelers should be feeding their top playmakers more, or continue to spread the ball around as much as they are? Let us know in the comments below! Please feel free to share all of your Steelers takes with me on X @matt_papiernik and follow me.
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