NFL Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers’ Offensive Trio Sets Incredible NFL Single-Season Record

Fresh Videos

By

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The Greatest Show on Turf couldn’t do it. The Triplets couldn’t do it. Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James came very close. But the fact remains that the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers are the first and only team in NFL history to boast a 4,500-yard passer, a 1,500-yard receiver and a 1,300-yard rusher in the same season.

The numbers speak for themselves, but what makes this accomplishment even more astounding is that this sort of production was a pipe dream in the ‘Burgh only a few seasons ago.

Many Steelers – including veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger – were quick to voice their displeasure over the firing of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians at the end of the 2011 season. His departure also signalled the end of a downfield passing game, instead replaced by mild-mannered Todd Haley and his uninspiring array of screens and draws. Some Steelers fans were left questioning the decision to let WRs Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders walk shortly after, while others felt like there were taking crazy pills when Pittsburgh passed on Eddie Lacy in the draft in favour of the less polished Le’Veon Bell.

But in the NFL, a season can last a lifetime and winning wipes away any and all grudges. What started off as a rocky relationship between Haley and Big Ben has blossomed to the tune of the league’s top-rated offense by yardage. The Steelers are the only team in the league that can lay claim to a top-five quarterback, top-five running back in Bell and top-five receiver in Antonio Brown, and anyone who claims the trio got there in spite of Haley as opposed to because of him is either living in the past, or just plain blind.

Of course, correct play calling can only take a team so far. Ben hasn’t looked this confident in his offense since the team’s last Super Bowl appearance. He is in total control, knowing when to look deep, when to check down, what tempo to run at, and everything in between. Brown has been a touchdown machine, assisted in no small part by his great hands and cuts that look more like Madden glitches than traditional routes. And Bell has elevated his malleability to All-Pro levels, evolving into the consummate running, receiving and blocking back through which the offense keeps moving the chains.

But hold on, isn’t this stat a little too specific? After all, who celebrates 1,300 yards? And 4,500 yards passing? The way the flags have been flying this year, Drew Brees could rack up half that during a flag football game the morning after Mardi Gras. Well for those who find the numbers too cherry-picked for their liking, consider this: Ben must throw for 365 yards on Sunday night to reach the magic 5,000. Bell needs 159 yards on the ground to hit a nice, round 1,500, and that’s ignoring the fact he’ll probably end the season with over 800 receiving yards to boot.

If the numbers don’t mean enough right now, they could represent the benchmark for a single-season offensive explosion by Monday morning.

Jonathon Natsis covers the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHollywood92, ‘like’ him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on