For the first time since Week 4 in Green Bay, the Pittsburgh Steelers featured extensive use of the hurry-up offense in the second half Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Beginning late in the third quarter, Ben Roethlisberger went to the no-huddle on 11 plays, and that helped spark an offense that scored 27 points in the fourth quarter before losing the lead and the game, 41-37, at SoFi Stadium.

It was the most plays in the no-huddle since the Steelers ran 15 against the Packers.

The common thread was that the Steelers trailed 27-10 on each occasion before they stepped up the pace in an attempt to get back in the game.

Roethlisberger saw improvements against the Chargers while running the no-huddle that perhaps weren’t evident earlier in the season.

“The line was able to, for the first time, really kind of do that – tell them protections and have them do it,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “Just being able to move the ball. I also think when you can answer scores, that’s such a big and underrated deal in the NFL. When you can answer a touchdown or score, I think that’s huge. We did that a few times.”

The Steelers rarely have used the hurry-up set when holding a lead this season. In fact, the preferred terminology is the “two-minute” offense because, according to Roethlisberger, the number of plays available is fewer than in the previous no-huddle iteration.

Regardless, the Steelers began quickening the pace with 3 minutes, 40 seconds left in the third quarter after Dustin Hopkins kicked a field goal to put the Chargers ahead by three scores. Roethlisberger called five plays out of the no-huddle on a drive that ended with Chris Boswell kicking a 36-yard field goal with 14:10 remaining.

Roethlisberger didn’t need to up the tempo after Miles Killebrew’s blocked punt set up the offense at the Chargers 3. But after the Chargers countered with a touchdown drive to provide a 34-20 lead, Roethlisberger went back to the no-huddle six times on a drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to Eric Ebron with 4:49 remaining.

“I thought it helped us get some continuity on offense,” rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. said. “It was definitely a good step for us.”

Moore wouldn’t mind seeing the Steelers run more plays out of the hurry-up offense this week when the Steelers travel to Cincinnati for a rematch with the Bengals. And not just if the Steelers fall behind.

“You always want to push the pace,” he said. “I think that’s the direction we want to go with our offense.”

Sharp Football Analysis has tracked no-huddle usage in the NFL since 2016. The Steelers have used it on 11.4% of their offensive plays, their lowest percentage with Roethlisberger at quarterback in that span. The usage in Matt Canada’s first year as offensive coordinator isn’t much different than in Randy Fichtner’s final season calling plays. The Steelers used the no-huddle 12.2% of the time in 2020.

When the Steelers reached the AFC championship game in 2016 and went 13-3 the following year, the no-huddle was used 19.9% of the time. It dipped to 17.8% in 2018 when Roethlisberger led the NFL in pass attempts. The Steelers used it less than 5% of the time in 2019 when Roethlisberger spent the final 14 games on injured reserve.

“When you’re able to pick the tempo up, you’re able to kind of dictate what the defense is doing a little bit or keep them plainer,” Roethlisberger said. “That was good. I just think communication, especially on the road where it is loud. Even though there were a lot of Steelers fans, it was loud. We were able to communicate, and I think things went pretty well there.”

That provides a level of comfort to Roethlisberger if the Steelers fall behind again this weekend at Paul Brown Stadium – a venue that annually attracts thousands of Terrible Towel-waving fans.

“We’re getting better,” Roethlisberger said. “They are too. I think everyone’s evolving as the season goes. Just because I think that we’re better doesn’t mean that all of a sudden the outcome could be different. You’ve still got to play them. Hopefully, our young guys have all grown up and the older guys are getting a little better, too.”

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