Le'Veon Bell's Absence Looms Large as Steelers Offense Falters in Wild-Card Loss

It was no big secret that running back Le'Veon Bell's absence in the Pittsburgh Steelers' wild-card matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night was going to hurt their offense.

But it was unknown just how much.

Bell, who suffered a hyperextended right knee in Pittsburgh's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17, could only watch on as the three backs trying to replace him—rookies Josh Harris and Dri Archer and recent free-agent signing Ben Tate—struggled and failed.

Ultimately, the Steelers lost 30-17 at Heinz Field, and it's hard to imagine a similar outcome with Bell healthy and on the field, though moving the ball wasn't a problem.

The Steelers put up 387 total yards of offense and controlled the time of possession, 35:17 to 24:43. But with the run game producing just 68 yards on 19 attempts, Pittsburgh could only move the ball between the 20s and rarely reach the end zone.

NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala provided a depressing comparison between the Steelers' rushing total and time of possession:

It was going to be an uphill battle regardless of the offensive personnel. The Ravens came into the game with one of the league's best pass rushes, notching 49 regular-season sacks. It ranked second in opponent red-zone touchdown percentage, at 42.59 percent, and fourth in touchdowns allowed per game, at 1.9, according to TeamRankings.com.

The only saving grace for Pittsburgh's offense was Baltimore's porous secondary. No playoff team boasted as many players on injured reserve—the Ravens had 19, including five defensive backs. But without the Steelers posing a threat running the ball, the secondary could get help in coverage, which proved crucial.

Pittsburgh's receivers didn't have bad games: Antonio Brown had nine catches for 117 yards; tight end Heath Miller had six for 76; Markus Wheaton notched five for 66; Martavis Bryant caught Roethlisberger's only touchdown pass, along with five catches for 61 yards.

Player	Atts.	Rush Yds.	YPR	TD	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec. TD
Josh Harris	9	25	2.8	0	2	2	6	0
Ben Tate	5	19	3.8	0	3	2	9	0
Dri Archer	1	-1	-1.0	0	4	3	15	0
Will Johnson	1	3	3.0	0	0	0	0	0

However, the big plays only resulted in one touchdown. The Steelers were 33 percent in the red zone and had three crucial turnovers, including one that led to a Joe Flacco touchdown pass to tight end Crockett Gillmore in the fourth quarter.

Bell's absence was felt beyond simply his skills as a running back. He could have been of great use in passing situations, particularly the quick-passing screen game where he excels. Bell is the Steelers' second-leading receiver, with 83 catches for 854 yards and three touchdowns. He also leads the team in yards after the catch, with 723.

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

That quick-passing offense could have helped out in pass protection, allowing Roethlisberger to get the ball out and having Bell do the heavy lifting after the catch. Instead, Big Ben took five sacks on the night. Bell's presence would have also been an upgrade on the Harris-Tate-Archer trio of backs when it came to blitz pickups.

The interception Roethlisberger threw in the fourth quarter was a direct result of Tate failing on a blitz pickup, leading to a forced dump-off to the back. The ball ultimately bounced off his fingertips and to Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs.

There's a reason why Bell is Pro Football Focus' (subscription required) top running back this season: He does it all.

Bell ranked third in pass-blocking among running backs, allowing zero sacks on the season. He was more productive and efficient as a receiver than any other back. He had 15 rushes of 15 or more yards on the year, and he forced 84 missed tackles as both a rusher and a receiver. And, of course, he finished the regular season with the second-most rushing yardage (1,361).

Pass Plays	PB Snaps	PB Snap %	Sacks	Hits	Hurries
576	84	14.6%	0	0	2

While it should be noted that Bell had just 20 rushing yards on 10 carries in the Steelers' Week 9 43-23 win over the Ravens, he still made an impact; according to PFF, he allowed no pressure on his seven pass-blocking snaps (with a snap total of 52). The Ravens also had to respect the Steelers' attempts at running the ball, and that was not the case in the playoffs.

It was clear the Steelers would be missing something without Bell; now we know just how big that something was.