Whether calling plays or not, Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger thrives in no-huddle

Ben Roethlisberger pulled his most tenured receiver aside. During the second half of this past Sunday’s AFC North showdown at the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger felt comfortable entrusting JuJu Smith-Schuster with doing something he hadn’t practiced and was just being instructed to do.

“Ben was making up plays as we went,” Smith-Schuster said of a second half in which the Steelers’ offense came to life. “When Ben does that, he sees something that he likes.”

Before a snap with 8 minutes, 18 seconds to play and with the Steelers trailing by three with the ball just inside the Baltimore 20, Roethlisberger instructed Smith-Schuster to line up behind rookie Chase Claypool to the right side. He was told he was the No. 1 intended target on the first-down play.

“That’s something we have not called in practice,” Smith-Schuster said later this week, “and we just went out there as an offense and just did it.

“Before that he told me, ‘I need you on this play, can you do it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I got you.’ We ended up doing that and got the first down.”

Going through Roethlisberger’s throws vs. BAL —

Quick passing game (slants/unders) out of empty. Ball out with speed. Saw more bunch/stack sets in 2nd half to counter aggressive coverage.

Example here — Slant to Smith-Schuster (pick concept). @NFLMatchup #Steelers #Ravens pic.twitter.com/dJ4DvUZm2u

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) November 2, 2020

The next play, out of a similar formation, Roethlisberger hit Claypool for an 8-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers the lead for good. And a primary storyline of what was such a crucial win for the Steelers’ division title hopes was the transformation of the offense after halftime.

The Steelers offense produced zero points and just 64 yards with Roethlisberger 4 for 10 for 24 yards in the first half. In the second half, the offense produced three touchdowns and 157 yards, and Roethlisberger went 17-for-22 for 158 yards.

One of the key differences? The Steelers went heavy no-huddle with spread formations and Roethlisberger calling plays.

“The second half,” Roethlisberger said, “probably 90 percent was make it up as we went.”

While coach Mike Tomlin downplayed the ratio of plays his quarterback called, teammates and offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner backed it up.

“I have no ego. I want to move the ball as much as anyone for the Pittsburgh Steelers and for the guys that are responsible for it in the offensive room,” Fichtner said. “Whatever gives us the best chance to do that, we will do.”

Said left guard Matt Feiler: “Ben was just making the call in the huddle, and we went with it. We know what kind of quarterback Ben is, and we have all the faith in world in him and the playmakers that we have. So he told us what to do, and we did it.”

While it’s impossible to ascertain when Roethlisberger was “calling the plays” and which ones he was calling, no-huddle plays are charted by the NFL and Roethlisberger unquestionably is given latitude in such situations in regards to audibling into formations or plays.

The Steelers ran 13 no-huddle plays during the second half Sunday and 18 no-huddle snaps overall (second most among all teams in Week 8). Those 18 snaps gained 97 yards, including four plays that netted at least 10 yards.

For the season, according to nflsavant.com only eight teams have run more no-huddle snaps than the Steelers. According to sharpfootballstats.com, the 2020 Steelers have passed the ball 41 times and run it six times when in no-huddle.

“Just being aware of the tempo we are going at,” Claypool said of operating in a no-huddle, “Making sure you run back to Ben, you get the play, you get lined up. That is the most important thing.”

Roethlisberger has a 130.8 passer rating and 8.8 yards per attempt this season in the no-huddle as opposed to a 93.5 rating and 5.9 yards per attempt after huddling up. Throughout his 17-season career and particularly more recently, the Steelers have turned to an up-tempo style to jump-start the offense at times.

No-huddle worked about as well as it ever has Sunday, regardless of who gets credit for the playcalls.

“We have protections and within those protections. Ben has some options in terms of route combinations on either side of the field,” Tomlin said. “It’s a function of how we move in no-huddle, if you will, in two-minute and situational ball.”

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