Ben Roethlisberger Has Big Concerns Ahead of Vikings vs. Steelers
The Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers are headed for a showdown in Dublin this weekend.
The game between 2-1 teams could put either one in the driver’s seat of their respective divisions with a win, and it marks another game for the Vikings against one of their most hated foes: Aaron Rodgers.
Ahead of the game, though, one legendary Pittsburgh Steelers player has some substantial concerns about his former team going up against this Vikings squad. That player is two-time Super Bowl champ, Ben Roethlisberger, who spoke on the game earlier this week on his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast on the Channel Seven YouTube channel.
Ben Roethlisberger Speaks on Vikings vs. Steelers
The first issue Big Ben mentioned during the podcast regarded the offensive line.
“My cause for concern is the o-line, especially the left tackle [Broderick Jones]. There were some clips of him not blocking anybody, which then in turn affects Aaron [Rodgers] and the playcalling and maybe getting the ball out quick,” Roethlisberger said.
It’s a very valid concern for how the Steelers have performed this season offensively. Aaron Rodgers’ time to throw per drop back has been an average of just 2.61 seconds per Next Gen Stats, which ties for the third-fastest in the NFL, and a lot of it has to do with the offensive line breaking down very quickly.
Rodgers is also only averaging 5.4 air yards per attempt, which ranks dead-last among all QBs; a testament to Pittsburgh’s inability to protect the 41-year-old quarterback and give him enough time to push the ball downfield.
In terms of Pittsburgh’s left tackle, Jones, he has had a dreadful start to the year, allowing nine QB pressure and four sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s not exactly what Steelers fans would have hoped for from the player they traded up in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to pick.
Needless to say, Minnesota’s pass rushers should be licking their chops ahead of this matchup.
Another concern from Roethlisberger lies in the quarterback matchup. Take a look:
“I’m actually more concerned that Carson Wentz is playing than if J.J. McCarthy was playing,” Roethlisberger said. “I think this will be a harder game with Carson Wentz than it would be with J.J. He’s got weapons, he can still move enough, and he can make throws when he needs to.”
This makes sense, particularly for a game in Dublin that takes all formalities of an NFL week and throws them out the window. The teams practiced twice at their home stadiums before taking a long flight across the pond, practiced in Dublin Friday, and now have less than 48 hours to recover from any jet lag before playing on Sunday.
That can be a lot for a rookie quarterback, but Wentz has done this before, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 24-18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London during the 2018 season.
But Big Ben still wasn’t done.
Roethlisberger dropped a major hammer when he asked this question to his co-hosts: “If I say that I think we’re going to get outcoached, is that controversial?”
Here’s the former QB’s further reasoning:
“Brian Flores is a very good defensive coordinator […] and I think Kevin O’Connell is an exceptional offensive mind. So I just think, working those things, they’re going to find ways to try and exploit our defense.”
Mike Tomlin is a legendary coach in the NFL, leading the Steelers to 19 consecutive seasons where Pittsburgh finished at least .500 since taking the head coaching job in 2007. So these are pretty strong words from the quarterback who helped Tomlin win a Super Bowl in 2008.
That just might be where we are at with O’Connell and Flores, though. The Vikings went 14-3 last season with an elite defense, and O’Connell revived the career of Sam Darnold who has now continued that new success with the Seattle Seahawks through four games.
Ultimately, Roethlisberger decided to pick the Vikings to win this game. If the man who was under center in Pittsburgh for 18 years is picking against his former team, the Steelers may have trouble on their hands against this Vikings squad.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Next Gen Stats.
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