Strange as it might seem, the deep passing game has returned to the Steelers’ offense.
It wasn’t just the three completions of at least 41 yards by Mason Rudolph in Sunday’s loss in Cleveland, just one fewer than the offense managed in the previous 15 games. Or the five completions of 25 yards or longer against the Browns, most in a game this season.
It started to happen in the second half of the comeback victory against the Indianapolis Colts, when Ben Roethlisberger threw touchdowns of 39 yards to Diontae Johnson and 25 yards to JuJu Smith-Schuster and also had a 34-yard completion to rookie Chase Claypool.
That’s eight completions of at least 25 yards in six quarters, or 18.6% of their total in the previous 14 ½ games.
It was an encouraging sign for an offense that once ranked among the league’s deep-passing elite to the one that has dropped near the bottom half of the league in 20-yard (48) and 40-yard completions (7).
“We tried to take as many shots as we could,” Rudolph said. “We threw the ball a lot down the field.”
It remains to be seen if the Steelers will continue with the same game plan — and the same success — when Roethlisberger returns for Sunday’s playoff game with the Browns at Heinz Field.
But keep this is mind, too:
The Browns were playing without three of their top players in the secondary — cornerback Denzel Ward, nickelback Kevin Johnson and safety Andrew Sendejo. That forced them to use cornerback Robert Jackson, who had played six snaps all season, for all 67 snaps against the Steelers.
It has not been determined if Ward and Johnson, each whom were placed on the Reserve/Covid-19 list after testing positive, will return on Sunday.
Down for more Dobbs?
The Steelers used the occasion of Josh Dobbs dressing for the first time to utilize a package they hadn’t employed all season against the Browns. And it was a good move on several fronts.
Question is now: Should it be something they continue into the postseason?
Dobbs played nine snaps against the Browns, throwing five passes, running twice and handing off twice. Not surprisingly, he had the most success running, carrying two times for 20 yards.
His five passes two tap-passes to Ray-Ray McCloud that netted minus-3 yards, two shovel passes for 6 yards to tight end Vance McDonald, and an incompletion to rookie running back Anthony McFarland.
When coach Mike Tomlin was asked if the package is something the Steelers might continue to employ with Dobbs in the postseason, he said, “It’s a possibility.”
However, the Steelers never dress more than two quarterbacks for a game or have a specialty player available unless he can play special teams. It is unlikely Tomlin is going to change for the postseason.
That, though, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t.
Dobbs gives the Steelers something they don’t have — a quarterback with mobility. He gives an opposing defense a different look, gives a defensive coordinator one more thing for which he has to prepare.
Creativity, not predictability, comes in handy this time of year.
Comeback kids
The Steelers have established one important aspect of their 12-4 season — they are never to be counted out of any game, no matter the score.
One week after coming back from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat Indianapolis, the Steelers nearly came back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Browns.
Earlier this season, the Steelers came back from 10-point deficits in the second half to beat the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys in back-to-back weeks.
“I think us fighting and clawing in that game shows the resiliency of this team,” said rookie outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, who played all but two snaps against the Browns and had a team-high nine tackles, including a sack. “We are a fighting team. We are going to fight to the end of the game. That is what I am excited about with going to the playoffs. We just have to fight, and we have seen that.”
And another thing ...
• The Steelers finished with 56 sacks and became the first team in history to lead the league in sacks four consecutive seasons. The only other team to do it three consecutive seasons was the 1967 Oakland Raiders in the old AFL.
• Despite not playing in Cleveland, outside linebacker T.J. Watt became the first Steelers player to lead the league in sacks since Kevin Greene in 1994. Watt finished with 15 sacks, 1 ½ more than Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Curiously, 11 ½ of his sacks came at Heinz Field. Watt also led the league in tackles for loss (23) and quarterback hits (41).
• Stephon Tuitt had a sack against the Browns to finish with a career-high 11, seventh-most in the league, despite missing one game. Tuitt and Watt combined to have the most sacks (26) of any duo in the league.
• Claypool led all rookie receivers with nine touchdowns and tied for third in receptions of at least 20 yards (14). His 873 receiving yards was fourth-most among rookies, though his yards per catch (14.1) were second only to Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (15.9).
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: January 4, 2021, 6:56 p.m.
