PITTSBURGH -- No huddle, no problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense.
Actually, after talking about going to the no-huddle offense more often this season, the Steelers have used it less and have been quite successful.
"We haven't really needed it,'' Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "We used it in the past in games, but when things are going well why mess with them? So, it's kind of a nice little thing to keep in our back pocket whenever we do need it. But we just haven't had to use it right now.''
The Steelers lead the NFL in total offense with 424.9 yards per game, while Roethlisberger and the passing attack is second overall with 306.7 yards per contest. The Indianapolis Colts average 310.9 yards passing per game.
So, while the no-huddle offense has been successful in past seasons, it primarily was used as a desperation move. It was a way for the Steelers to get back in a game and get a little rhythm going on offense when things weren't going too well. Other than a handful of times this season, the offense has been humming right along, for the most part, and even been prolific on several occasions.
"We've dusted off a couple plays here and there, as we've gone through games, but as I've said it's a nice thing to have when we need it,'' Roethlisberger added. "But we haven't needed it yet.''
The Steelers have been relatively healthy on offense this season, while it has been the defense that was ravaged by injuries. Actually, both sides of the ball are relatively healthy going into this week's home game with Kansas City.
Roethlisberger is on his way to a second straight season of playing every snap, and with right tackle Marcus Gilbert set to return the offensive line will be as healthy as it's been all season. The only health issue is center Maurkice Pouncey's ankle, as he was limited in practice Wednesday, but the entire unit should be full steam ahead by game time.
"That's kind of the key every year, being able to stay healthy,'' Roethlisberger said. "And those guys (on the offensive line), especially. I knew the talent that we had up front and how good they could be.
"They've played well, and they've jelled together. They feed off each other, so it's been great that they've stayed healthy and hopefully they'll continue to stay healthy the rest of this season.''
The contributions from top-level talent Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell and Heath Miller have been well-documented, but recent contributions from second-year player Markus Wheaton and rookie Martavis Bryant can't be discounted. Wheaton has 48 catches for 600 yards and two touchdowns, so he easily should match and possibly surpass Emmanuel Sanders' efforts last season. And Bryant has 24 catches for 484 yards and seven scores in eight games.
"I think we've all grown a little bit more every game in this offense,'' Roethlisberger said. "The young guys have stepped up, and the older guys have continued to make plays. Yeah, we've evolved every week, and we keep trying to get better.''
One thing the young players haven't had is playoff experience, but Roethlisberger believed the club's stretch drive will be beneficial in that department.
"It's been a playoff atmosphere for a while here, because we've needed it for the last couple weeks now, and every game, every series and every play is important,'' Roethlisberger said. "So, when the playoffs do get here, we need to be playing our best football every single week.
"(So), it's time to get hot and play your best football. So, we're going to try to continue to do that. Every game is a must win or you don't make the real playoffs, so we're going to continue to take that approach.''
And as long as the offense is playing well, that approach won't include the no-huddle attack.