It took only three minutes Sunday for the Steelers to show they are on the precipice of a resurgence. Faced with a long third down at midfield, Ben Roethlisberger dropped back in the pocket, but instead of dumping the ball behind the line of scrimmage, he let his pass rip all the way down the field to a streaking Diontae Johnson. The dynamic young wideout caught the ball in stride and ran it into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown.
Just like that, the Steelers were on the board, and never looked back.
Roethlisberger played his best game of the season in the Steelers' 27-19 victory over the Broncos, but more importantly, he exhibited his path forward. At 39 years old, Roethlisberger is no longer the gunslinger who can drop back and throw 35 times per game. On Sunday, he completed a season-low 15 passes, but his 10.1 yards per attempt and passer rating of 120.9 were season bests.
It's not about how many times Roethlisberger throws the ball. It's about whether he can make his throws count. And it's a lot easier to do that when the offensive line does its job.
The much-maligned Steelers' O-line was excellent, only allowing one sack. Roethlisberger had time to throw and was able to survey the field. Just as importantly, Najee Harris was finally gifted some holes to run through. The Alabama standout finished with 23 carries and 122 yards with a touchdown. On a 2nd-and-goal, he leaped over the hapless Broncos defenders and found the end zone. After the game, he gave all the credit to his teammates up front.
"All of us running backs can tell the difference about how much they are improving," Harris told reporters. "This whole press conference should be more about them. They did an amazing job. I told them that every time we got on the sidelines, even in the game in how good they were doing."
This is the formula for the Steelers going forward. When they drafted Harris in the first round, it was expected he would help lead the offense and resuscitate Pittsburgh's moribund rushing attack. The first four week were rocky, but that finally looks like it's happening. His success makes Roethlisberger's job much easier. He was allowed to pick his spots and silence his critics, at least for one week. His second touchdown pass was an excellent 18-yard dart to Chase Claypool, who was able to break through and split three Denver defenders.
Meanwhile, the Steelers dominated on defense, with an array of unheralded defenders making big plays, including undrafted rookie James Pierre. He picked off Teddy Bridgewater late in the fourth quarter, and effectively sealed the game.
The Steelers may not play a sexy style like their competitors in the AFC North. But they possess the winning pedigree. On Sunday, they showed how it can be done.
