The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have much to be excited about offensively through two games this season. Scoring eight points per game while the offensive line consistently loses in the trenches is very hard to come back from. Their own defense has as many touchdowns as the offense does through thus far, and the only time they did punch it into the end zone was in Week 1 when they got an interception that at least set them up in field goal range. This has to get fixed immediately, or else the season could end prematurely.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers takes a hit during a road loss to the Patriots in 2026.
Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows that too, but he is not convinced this will get fixed soon enough. On the most recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he explained why he thinks this offense could be doomed.
"It felt like the Patriots were like, 'We're showing [blitz], we're going to bring it,' and it felt like they were just confusing the [offensive] line..." Roethlisberger said. "It's about the group front. They need to get something figured out because where I'm concerned is that other teams are going to be like, 'Oh, okay, this is what it is...' I fear that other teams are going to be like, 'You know, we're going to take the chance that you can't hold onto the ball, that you can't protect it, that you can't go down the field.'"
Roethlisberger made sure to note that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was not the one that was getting confused, but the offensive line was having trouble dissecting these blitzes. That confusion is obviously there, as multiple reports have come out about how the communication up front just isn't there right now, and it's hard to get that going when no one seems to know what's going on.
There have been rumors and calls for the Steelers to start benching players, but that might not fix these issues. Putting in two linemen who are in their first year in Pittsburgh most likely won't fix the confusion and lack of proper communication. It may be worth a shot just to try and provide a jolt to this unit, but expecting a complete turnaround may just lead to more disappointment on that front.
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Steelers huddle up during a Week 2 game against the Patriots.
That's the big problem. The Steelers need a quick turnaround, but that's very hard to do. If that unit struggled to get on the same page for the first two weeks, that will likely be the case in Week 3, Week 4, and so on. That makes it easy for teams to keep attacking this unit and throwing disguises out there to free up pass rushers and run stuffers, whether they have a great defense or not.
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Even with all the breakdowns in blocking and reading the defense, that's not the worst part. What makes everything even worse is the fact that NFL teams were already planning on this before Rodgers ever committed to signing with the Steelers. There is a very clear and obvious blueprint out there from an NFL defensive coordinator to slowing him down, and it has been working to perfection.
The reported plan is to throw these disguised coverages and blitzes out there to make Rodgers hold the ball for an extra second. Even though he does not take sacks, that can at least buy the pass rush enough time to make contact with the quarterback and rattle him a bit mentally. That has happened a lot in the first two weeks, and it won't stop until the Steelers can find any way to adjust.
With the struggles from this offensive line, it's hard to expect immediate adjustments to counter this plan. On top of that, teams now know that they can play press coverage on DK Metcalf and he won't be able to get free. Not only is Rodgers trying to dissect these tricky defenses, but his hot route is usually taken away, which makes him much more susceptible to taking these hits.
What do you think about Roethlisberger's worries about the offense for the whole season? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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