Big Ben's era of dominance in the AFC North is over. That was apparent last year, when he averaged an interception per game in December and threw four picks in Pittsburgh's embarrassing playoff loss to the Browns.
With Ben Roethlisberger returning, many NFL prognosticators are expecting the Steelers to struggle, despite winning 12 games last season. The number crunchers at Pro Football Focus have been especially harsh. They predict the Steelers will finish with just 7.6 wins in 2021.
On Wednesday, former NFL quarterback and PFF analyst Bruce Gradkowski released his annual QB rankings, and the dissing of Roethlisberger continued. He's ranked as the No. 16 quarterback overall, well behind Lamar Jackson (8) and Baker Mayfield (10).
Roethlisberger narrowly edges out Joe Burrow, who's slotted at No. 18. The top five are as follows: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson.
In Gradkowski's analysis, the eight-year NFL veteran says Roethlisberger "proved his toughness" by coming back after elbow surgery and leading the Steelers to a playoff berth. But there's no escaping the fact Pittsburgh finished 1-5 in its last six games.
"New offensive coordinator Matt Canada has a tall task in trying to figure out what will make this offense tick," Gradkowski writes.
Improving the running game is one place to start. Roethlisberger ranked last out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks on play-action attempts last season, an indication of Pittsburgh's abysmal running threat. The Steelers drafted Alabama playmaker Najee Harris at No. 24 overall.
But Harris won't be able to fix Roethlisberger's apparent lack of arm strength. He held the dubious honor last year of leading the league in shotgun pass attempts and throws under 10 yards.
Objectively, Jackson's ranking is more controversial than Roethlisberger's. The Ravens QB is a former MVP, and yet, barely cracks the top 10.
But he clearly holds the edge over Roethlisberger, along with Mayfield. The Steelers are still acting like a team whose quarterback is one of their strengths. But that just no longer seems to be the case.
