Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Questions Aaron Rodgers' Critical Decision

The Pittsburgh Steelers had one final opportunity to steal a victory against the Cleveland Browns, but former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn't completely sold on how Aaron Rodgers handled the final 10 seconds. Pittsburgh still had a timeout available when Rodgers elected to launch a Hail Mary toward the end zone. The pass fell incomplete, immediately ending the Steelers' chances in a 27-24 loss.

Roethlisberger understands why Rodgers had to be careful. Ten seconds can disappear quickly if a quarterback holds the football too long, a receiver fights for unnecessary yardage or the offense fails to get its timeout called immediately. Still, the former Steelers quarterback believed Pittsburgh potentially had enough time to run one more quick play before taking its final shot at the end zone.

That became a topic during the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger as the retired Super Bowl champion reviewed the final sequence. He noticed what appeared to be an option coming across the field underneath, and later examination of the play showed DK Metcalf with significant space. Without knowing exactly what Pittsburgh called, Roethlisberger couldn't definitively say Rodgers made the wrong decision, but he was clearly confused about why the Steelers immediately went for everything.

"Yeah, that play was broken down, and I think Roman or DK was coming across the field," Roethlisberger said. "That's one where maybe Aaron just didn't see it. Yeah, I'm not really sure. Last week you saw Baltimore do it with seven seconds and get in position to take the timeout [to get a one-second field goal against the Cowboys for the win]. Without knowing the exact play call, the result is not what you want, and there was one guy there. You figure there was probably enough time to kind of work the ball. You probably could have worked the middle of the field quicker."

That is what made Pittsburgh's decision so interesting. Roethlisberger wasn't suggesting the Steelers had enough time to casually run another normal offensive play. The margin for error was incredibly small. His point was that a quick completion could have potentially moved Pittsburgh closer before McCarthy used his final timeout. Even a modest gain could have changed the final attempt.

A Hail Mary is already one of football's lowest-percentage plays. Any additional yardage can matter because it gives the quarterback a shorter throw and allows receivers more time to establish position around the end zone.

Rodgers instead launched the ball with roughly 10 seconds remaining. Roethlisberger knows there is another side to that argument. Trying to squeeze in an extra completion carries significant risk, and one mistake could prevent Pittsburgh from getting any final attempt at all.

"Yeah, you got to be careful because it can get you in trouble if there's a little bit of a scramble," Roethlisberger said. "If you hold it a little long, you need to alert down and don't get the extra yards. Sometimes people catch it and want to go get those extra five yards. That's one or two seconds, so you need to alert down."

That warning explains why the decision wasn't as simple as just completing another pass. Rodgers would have needed to get the football out immediately. The receiver would have needed to understand the situation and go down without attempting to create anything after the catch. McCarthy then would have needed to call timeout quickly enough to preserve at least one second.

One hesitation could have ended the game without a Hail Mary attempt.

Steelers' Final Decision Leaves Roethlisberger Wondering

Roethlisberger still seemed to believe the potential reward justified trying to steal some additional yardage first. His reaction became even more interesting while reviewing the footage and seeing Metcalf available underneath.

That doesn't automatically mean Rodgers missed an easy answer. Quarterbacks have progressions, defensive looks change after the snap and nobody outside Pittsburgh's offense knows exactly what Rodgers was instructed to do on the play.

Roethlisberger acknowledged that uncertainty himself. His criticism was less about declaring Rodgers definitively wrong and more about questioning Pittsburgh's overall approach with a timeout still available. 

Ten seconds provided just enough time to make another completion possible, even if executing it correctly required everyone to understand the situation perfectly. That's where Roethlisberger's experience provides an interesting perspective on that final Rodgers pass against the Browns.

Should the Steelers have run one more play before the Hail Mary? Follow me on X @anthonyghalkias and let Steeler Nation know.