Following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ frustrating 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns, former franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t hold back on his podcast, “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.” Specifically, Roethlisberger expressed utter confusion over the offense’s final, desperate sequence.
Trailing by three points on their own 30-yard line with just 10 seconds remaining and a timeout in their pocket, quarterback Aaron Rodgers rolled out and unleashed a covered Hail Mary attempt rather than working an intermediate route to set up kicker Chris Boswell.
"So, one that stood out to me was the last play,” said Roethlisberger. “It's We're on our 30, I believe, and I mean, we might have I mean, we needed a little chunk to get into Boz's range,
but we do a Hail Mary with 10 seconds and a timeout left. What was that?"
Roethlisberger, who navigated countless two-minute drills over his 18-year Hall-of-Fame career, emphasized that 10 seconds provides more than enough operational time to complete an intermediate pass near the sideline or across the middle, provided the receiver downs the ball instantly to call a timeout.
All-22 film breakdowns after the game showed wide receiver DK Metcalf breaking open in the middle of the field with space to gain yardage.
"10 seconds is enough time to get it. Now, how far down the field is it? I'm not really sure at the end what was going on there because, you know, I'm not in the huddle. I'm not hearing what's going on. But again, hindsight, looking back on it, armchair quarterback, whatever you want to call it, you know, there is a clip of DK, I think it's DK, running in the middle of the field, open for at least a chance."
Whether the breakdown resulted from a rigid play call or a forced decision under pressure, Roethlisberger’s critique shines a spotlight on situational execution issues that Pittsburgh must resolve moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Ben Roethlisberger rips Steelers’ final play call vs. Browns
