Martavis Bryant Is the Big Target Big Ben Has Been Needing

Another week of football meant another six touchdown passes for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh's monumental 43-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football has moved the club to 6-3.

The resurgence of Big Ben has been remarkable. Over the last two games, he's thrown for 862 yards and 12 touchdowns. Yes, that's 12 touchdowns in two weeks for a player who rarely gets talked about in the same breath as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or even Philip Rivers. 

So, what's changed? Outside of sharp play-calling from offensive coordinator Todd Haley, a rookie pass-catcher from Clemson named Martavis Bryant has become a godsend for the veteran quarterback.

Rotoworld senior football editor Evan Silva tweeted about how Roethlisberger's stats have altered since Bryant was inserted into the starting lineup:

Those numbers make a lot of sense when you think about it. For the first time since Emmanuel Sanders was on the roster, the Steelers now have a formidable clique of wide receivers who can stretch the field and make big plays.

We already know that Antonio Brown is one of the best offensive players in football. But with the emergence of second-year man Markus Wheaton and Bryant, this offense is now able to open things up quickly.

What you get with Bryant first and foremost is a monster in the red zone. At 6'4", he instantly becomes next to impossible to guard in that area of the field. With defenses focusing on Brown, dual-threat tailback Le'Veon Bell and the sure-handed tight end Heath Miller, there are simply too many options to single out Bryant.

This is exactly what Roethlisberger needed, and more importantly, wanted.

"When the Steelers didn’t use the 15th overall pick in the draft on a receiver, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t happy," Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote earlier this year.

"Of course, it’s not the first time Roethlisberger has said something that could rile up his receivers.  In early 2008, Roethlisberger lobbied for a tall receiver," he would continue on to say.

Once again in Week 9, Bryant proved that he's the player Big Ben has yearned for over the years.

It started in the second quarter when he came down with a 19-yard touchdown pass courtesy of a blown coverage. Bryant ran a smooth route, which allowed his quarterback to loft the ball where no defender could make a play on it.

He's still not a superior route-runner, but the way he's developed in that area is huge for this team. Leading up to the draft, scouts like NFL.com's Nolan Nawrocki knocked him for being unpolished.

You won't consistently be able to turn on the film after a game this season and leave thinking that Bryant can run any route. However, that doesn't mean he's not improving and making huge strides. As the offense continues to mesh and Bryant matures, he'll only get better in that department.

After they hooked up for an early score, Bryant and Roethlisberger connected again, this time for an 18-yard touchdown with 9:31 left in the game.

That touchdown was the one that put the fourth-round pick's name in the history books, via Around the NFL:

Who cares if he's a rookie? This guy has earned the trust and support of his quarterback, and the numbers he's posted back that sentiment up whole-heartedly.

In three starts this season Bryant has 10 catches on 17 targets for 167 yards and five touchdowns. He's been able to provide the Steelers offense with that certain something they've been missing since Plaxico Burress was on the squad: a tall, gifted wide receiver who is troublesome for rival defensive backs.

After the team's Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Peter King of The MMQB wrote about the sudden emergence of the Steelers' wide receiving corps:

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Pittsburgh has been looking for a bookend for Brown, and they may have found one. Or two. Bryant—a raw 6-4 kid from Clemson who played in the shadow of Sammy Watkins—and Wheaton had been non-factors much of the year until last week, but they combined for 10 catches, 139 yards and three touchdowns against the Colts.

"

Bryant's ferocious start to the season should continue well into November. Over the next two weeks the Steelers will take on the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.

Besides the fact that neither team has won more than two games, they both have issues with their secondaries. Football Outsiders' grading system has the Jets down as the 27th-ranked pass defense and the Titans as the 21st.

A white-hot Steelers passing attack matched up against those two defenses means Bryant should get plenty of chances to ruin the stat sheet.

The NFL sure is a funny place, isn't it? In a matter of three weeks, the Steelers have transformed into a dominant offensive squad. Currently sitting pretty at 6-3, this team has a realistic chance to get back to the postseason.

If that turns out to be the case, a certain ex-Clemson Tiger named Martavis Bryant will be a hero in the Steel City.

Unless noted otherwise, all game scores and information come courtesy of ESPN.com.