Led by Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the Playoffs after a 3-year-long absence. But many doubt how long their run will really be. 

The Steelers went undefeated over the course of their first 11 games. The side was in prime position to land the AFC top seed. 

But a loss against the Washington Football Team in Week 13 soon changed the narrative. From 11-0, the Steelers wound up the regular season with a 12-4 record. 

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Ben Roethlisberger open to anything to win the game

Despite clinching the AFC North with a game in hand, the Steelers looked shaky throughout the season. With a non-existent running game, a mountain of responsibility fell on the shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger to lead the team’s offense. 

Something that opposition defenses were quick to get on to once they analyzed the Steelers’ short pass style of play. Roethlisberger and the Steelers have failed to find their footing since, apart from a Week 16 win against the Indianapolis Colts. 

Big Ben’s inability to provide the Steelers a different dimension in offense has prompted many to believe that the team might have to look at the bench for answers. 

Something that Big Ben seems ready to entertain if it can secure his side a win in their first playoff game against division rivals Cleveland Browns.

“I’m all for it… I’ll literally do whatever it takes to win this football game,” said Ben Roethlisberger to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala.

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Devoid of running game and deep balls a concern

The Steelers enter the Playoffs with the worst running game among any team. The side sits rock bottom in the league for average rushing yards a game (84.4). 

To compensate for their inability to play from the backfield, the Steelers have opted for a short pass approach to make up yardage. While this seemed to be working earlier, it hasn’t been able to cut the job of late. 

What doesn’t help them either is the fact that Big Ben’s arm is just not the same anymore. Following the elbow injury that kept him out for the majority of the 2019 season, Roethlisberger has seemed reluctant to throw the deep balls down the field he was once famous for. 

The Steelers have won just 1 of their last 5 games in the regular season, with their latest defeat coming at the hands of their playoff opponents. 

While the Browns have COVID headaches of their own, the Steelers will have to pull out all the stops if they are to make a deep playoff run this season.

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