Better 1st quarters 1st step to better production from Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger is being compensated $14 million to play this season. He’s talking like a man who happily would forgo about 7% of that pay if it would fix his offense’s early-game struggles.

“That’s the million-dollar question, right?” Roethlisberger said Wednesday in reference to fixing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ woefully slow starts offensively.

The Steelers have been awful during early-game drives dating to the second half of last season. That phenomenon perhaps hit rock bottom during Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals when the Steelers went three-and-out during three first-quarter drives that netted (counting penalties) a combined minus-12 yards.

Even compared to the three turnovers that led to three Cleveland touchdowns in the first quarter of January’s disastrous playoff game, Sunday’s effort might have been the worst yet among the Steelers’ streak of awful first quarters that has hit 11 consecutive games.

The most recent Steelers’ first-quarter points came during Week 10 last season in a win against the Bengals at Heinz Field.

Their 31 first-quarter possessions since that day have resulted in 23 punts, four interceptions, three fumbles and a missed field goal. During the first quarters of their past 11 games (counting the playoffs), the Steelers have more punts (23) than first downs (17).

“It’s frustrating,” rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. said. “We put a lot on ourselves, and we know we have to get the running game going. We have to perform and we have to do better. We know that.”

Roethlisberger said slow starts have plagued him personally dating to his days at Miami (Ohio), where coach Terry Hoeppner would needle him about that tendency.

“It’s been a long time since I have had Coach tell me those things, but I just have got to be better,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday before practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I don’t want to say, ‘We need to start fast.’ We do, but it starts with the guy who has the ball in his hands.”

During first quarters this season, Roethlisberger has posted a 43.2 passer rating, 4.5 yards per attempt and thrown two of his three interceptions.

Roethlisberger’s worst quarter as measured by passer rating in 2020, too, was the first quarter.

But it’s not all Big Ben. The Steelers rushing offense (by yards per attempt) is worst in the quarter (2.3) than at any other quarter of the game (a combined 3.5).

“We’re not playing well enough,” coach Mike Tomlin said of the Steelers’ first-quarter offense. “We’re not making enough plays, some of those one-on-one type plays. And, obviously, the initial part of (Sunday’s) game, you saw the penalties.”

The Steelers join the moribund Jets as the only teams in the NFL that haven’t scored an offensive point in the first quarter this season.

Since scoring three times over the first 14 minutes of that November 2020 game against the Bengals, the Steelers have played 165 minutes of first-quarter football.

In them, they’ve produced zero points, 350 total yards and 297 net yards. Their average first-quarter drive has advanced the ball fewer than 10 yards.

The Steelers have an aggregate six first downs and 31 net yards in seven full possessions over the first 15 minutes of their first three games this season.

The 2020 Steelers also posted their worst yards per rushing attempt (3.2), yards per passing attempt (4.8) and scoring output (3.6 points) in the first quarter relative to any other quarter.

Despite their 11-0 start last season, the Steelers had the fifth-worst first-quarter points per game in the NFL.

Zooming in further and isolating on the first drives of games is an even uglier picture. During each of their past nine regular-season games, the Steelers have punted on their first possession. They have three first downs on those nine drives.

What is perhaps most damning to the Steelers’ offense regarding the slow starts is that those are the only plays that are scripted ahead of time. Roethlisberger said the staff each provides several plays they believe will work best against that week’s opponent, and that list is pared down during a Saturday meeting in advance of the game.

“I know the coaches are doing a great job of scripting things. …” Roethlisberger said. “But it kind of starts with me because I need to get better with that because that’s kind of the key to a successful day is starting fast.”

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.