Ben Roethlisberger shines in debut with new offense; Steelers win

Ben Roethlisberger’s first try at running offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s offense couldn’t have gone better for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nothing beats perfection, right?

When Roethlisberger departed after three series in the Steelers’ 26-20 preseason victory Saturday night against the Detroit Lions, he had a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

With a crowd of 45,374 on hand at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger completed 8-of-10 passes for 137 yards and threw two touchdown passes to rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth.

He used play-action, took most first-down snaps under center and mixed in his usual complement of passing from the shotgun in his first chance to utilize Canada’s offense in a game setting.

“I thought he did a nice job,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I thought we got what we wanted to get accomplished, getting him familiar with administering the offense in a stadium-like circumstance. I thought he did a great job of communicating. He made good, fluid decisions, and we were able to move the ball.”

Of the 16 plays that Roethlisberger ran, six were from under center and the other 10 from his more familiar shotgun spot.

The touchdown passes, covering 11 and 8 yards to Freiermuth, each came on third down with Roethlisberger working out of the shotgun.

“I got hit on one, which was good,” Roethlisberger said. “I like to get one hit when the ball is thrown out of my hands. It feels good being out there and doing that.”

Mason Rudolph relieved Roethlisberger late in the first quarter and, after being shut out on all of his drives in the first two preseason games, led to the Steelers to field goals on three consecutive possessions. Rudolph completed 13-of-18 passes for 138 yards for a 94.2 rating.

Dwayne Haskins took over at quarterback early in the fourth quarter and directed a field-goal drive.

Roethlisberger’s first possession didn’t inspire confidence that the new-look offense would be any more productive than when predecessor Randy Fichtner was calling the plays. Before Roethlisberger could take a snap, left tackle Chuks Okorafor was called for a false start. On third-and-4, Roethlisberger twice eluded the pass rush, tucked the ball and reversed field. He threw 20 yards downfield to tight end Eric Ebron, who couldn’t hold onto the ball.

The ensuing punt was the only one of the game for the Steelers, who scored on their next six possessions and held 23-0 and 26-6 leads.

The offense began meshing the next time the Steelers got the ball. Roethlisberger directed a nine-play, 82-yard drive, converting a trio of third downs. The first was on a 43-yard pass to Diontae Johnson which showed that, even at age 39, Roethlisberger still had the arm strength to sling the ball downfield. On the next third-down situation, Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster for 11 yards. The drive ended with Roethlisberger looking into the end zone on third-and-7 and, after a pump fake, finding the second-round pick from Penn State in single coverage for the 11-yard score.

“The defense they called basically gave us one option,” Roethlisberger said. “It was him down the middle, and I knew he was going to be on a linebacker. That’s what we brought him here to do — he’s got to win against linebackers. And he did.”

Roethlisberger began his third drive by lining up under center. Using play-action, he flipped a pass to rookie running back Najee Harris that went for 46 yards to the Lions 12. Harris caught the ball at the Lions 45 and found a seam along the right sideline, flashing the elusiveness that made him a first-round pick.

Roethlisberger capped the four-play, 58-yard drive with his 8-yard toss to Freiermuth on another third down. Freiermuth made a nice back-shoulder catch, and the Steelers held a 14-0 lead.

Rudolph took over the offense with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left in the first quarter and led the Steelers to field goals on their next two possessions for a 20-0 halftime lead.

With Chartiers Valley and Duquesne alum Christian Kuntz snapping and rookie punter Pressley Harvin III holding, Chris Boswell made kicks of 35 and 23 yards.

Rudolph remained in the game after intermission, and he put the offense in position for Boswell to make his third short field goal — a 24-yarder. This time, veteran snapper Kam Canaday and punter/holder Jordan Berry were on the field.

“I felt good,” Rudolph said. “Getting points on the board tonight feels good, but you’d like to get seven instead of three.”

Boswell completed his perfect night, too, adding a 42-yard field goal with 9:22 remaining.

On the offensive line, Zach Banner played in a game for the first time since tearing his ACL in the season opener last September. Banner played two series before yielding to rookie fourth-rounder Dan Moore Jr. Trai Turner was relieved by B.J. Finney in the second quarter.

The defense, which had most starters on the field for the first four series, held the Lions to 65 total yards in the first half. Cornerback Joe Haden played just one series. Conversely, safety Terrell Edmunds and corner Cam Sutton played into the second half.