GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 03: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during pregame against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 03, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is spiraling out of control and their best chance to salvage it is by benching franchise icon Ben Roethlisberger.
Sometimes the end comes quickly for aging NFL legends, as was the case when Peyton Manning’s play dropped off dramatically late in the 2015 season for the Denver Broncos. The same circumstance appears to be happening in Pittsburgh as Ben Roethlisberger looks like he is costing the Steelers any chance to have a decent season.
Roethlisberger delivered another pitiful performance for the Steelers, averaging just 5.5 yards per pass in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. The defeat dropped the Steelers to 1-3 on the season and the big issue has been a struggling offense that can do little to move the football.
A reworked offensive line hasn’t helped out Roethlisberger, who is now the equivalent of a statue in the pocket who was sacked eight times in Pittsburgh’s first three games. The Steelers were clearly hoping Roethlisberger’s second-half swoon in 2020 could be attributed to poor playcalling but the move to Matt Canada hasn’t helped revitalize the aging star.
Why the Steelers should consider benching Ben Roethlisberger
It is never easy to bench a legend but Roethlisberger simply isn’t doing enough to help the Steelers win football games. There’s no doubt that a questionable call hurt Pittsburgh against the Packers but Roethlisberger hasn’t done nearly enough to move the Steelers’ offense against top competition.
The problem that Pittsburgh runs into here is that there aren’t many good internal options to upgrade over Roethlisberger with. Mason Rudolph didn’t do much when he replaced an injured Roethlisberger in 2019 while Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs are hurt, meaning the Steelers would need to make an external addition either via trade or free agency to augment their depth chart.
In short, Roethlisberger’s job is safe for now but his performance is nowhere near good enough to help the Steelers win football games. Finding an upgrade as soon as possible is imperative for Pittsburgh to try and avoid the first losing season of Mike Tomlin’s tenure.
