Return of the Deep Throw Key to Ben Roethlisberger's Resurgence

Looking back at the first nine games of the 2014 NFL season, there has been a great deal of evolution for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Going back to the preseason and moving forward to now, this team looks very different from a schematic standpoint.

One of the primary areas of improvement has been with the deep ball and the correlation to increased scoring.

Over the last three games, the Steelers have decided to make some changes to how they attack opposing defenses, starting with tempo. According to Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter, dumping the no-huddle offense has been a top priority:

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The #Steelers have run just 15 no-huddle plays in the past three games

— Dale Lolley (@dlolleyor) November 4, 2014"

During that three-game stretch, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been nothing short of masterful. His numbers for these three games (all wins) include 88-of-119 passing for a 74 percent completion rate, 1,127 yards, 14 touchdowns and not a single interception.

Those figures are ridiculous, but one other might be even more important.

During that same three-game stretch, Roethlisberger has been sacked six times. In the three previously? 11. Against the Baltimore Ravens, all three of those sacks came on a single drive on consecutive plays.

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Another factor in the improvement in both yards and scoring? The addition and subsequent emergence of rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

In his first three games in the league, Bryant has 10 receptions, five of which have gone for touchdowns.

So, what do a more controlled, Roethlisberger-centered offense, better pass protection and more weapons mean? The deep ball has taken center stage.

Against the Ravens, five of Roethlisberger’s six touchdown passes were from at least 18 yards out. I suppose there’s no better way to cure red-zone problems than to score either from outside that area or the moment you get in it.

Let’s look at two of Roethlisberger’s long touchdowns from Sunday’s win over the Ravens.

On this first play, Pittsburgh spreads the Ravens out with four in the route and Roethlisberger in the shotgun. You see wide receiver Markus Wheaton at the top of the screen and Antonio Brown at the bottom. The Ravens back both safeties off the line of scrimmage, but one shades to Brown’s side of the field:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Roethlisberger recognizes this and knows he has Wheaton in single coverage up top with an eight-yard cushion.

At the snap, Roethlisberger takes one beat to look down Brown. The deep Ravens safety pauses just long enough that, by the time Roethlisberger comes back across to Wheaton, he is streaking past the Ravens defender with no one behind him to help:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Pittsburgh opts to leave tight end Heath Miller in to block, which negates any potential impact the other Ravens safety could have had in coverage. He could never get depth in time to help. He’s just stuck in no-man's land.

The result is an easy 47-yard touchdown play. It is also worth noting that in the second picture, you see a clean pocket for Roethlisberger.

On this next play, Brown isn’t a distraction. Pittsburgh comes out in the same formation as the previous play, but Baltimore is playing it very differently. Instead of playing off, the Ravens cornerbacks have come up to press the outside receivers:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

This also forces the safeties to set up 15 yards off the ball to offer help over the top. Baltimore is counting on getting pressure quickly.

Once again, the offensive line does its job, and the chemistry between Roethlisberger and Brown is evident.

After the snap, you see one deep safety roll in behind Brown. At the top of the shot, there has to be some level of confusion in the route because spacing between the Steelers wide receivers is terrible. Nevertheless, it forces one safety to hold and gives Roethlisberger an easy choice:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Brown recognizes at the snap that he’s going to get bracket coverage. The cornerback shades to the inside, meaning the safety will take the boundary deep. Brown drives the corner up the field and then breaks outside hard at 15 yards, and Roethlisberger delivers a strike.

Once Brown gets the ball in his hands, he goes to work and gets those last 40 yards all on his own. 

Check out all of Big Ben’s big plays from Sunday’s win right here:

These are two examples of how the Steelers were able to win with near-identical plays against different coverages using smart play design and pinpoint execution.

I am fine with this wide-open offense going forward because the best way to pick up a struggling defense is to score points in buckets.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.