The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense was miserable to watch in Week 13. It struggled to do anything right for most of the game. It also turned the ball over twice. All of that contributed to the team losing to the Buffalo Bills. However, there were some moments where the Steelers moved the ball well. Ben Roethlisberger heard that Aaron Rodgers, not Arthur Smith, may have been calling plays in those moments.

“I’ve heard some things that Aaron [Rodgers], this last game, when they finally moved the ball, Aaron was just calling plays,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin’ podcast. “Maybe it’s one of those situations where we unhook the helmet and let Aaron do his thing.”

It’s unclear who Roethlisberger’s source is, or if there’s any truth to what he’s saying. Also, the point in the game he’s referencing is uncertain.

However, there weren’t many moments where the Steelers’ offense wasn’t stagnant against the Bills. Perhaps Roethlisberger is referring to their first drive of the fourth quarter. That was one of their few drives that didn’t end in a punt almost instantly.

The Steelers got the ball with around 14 minutes left in the game. This drive was more pass-heavy, too, although that’s likely because the Steelers’ backs were against the wall. The team was down 23-7, so they had to move quickly. They found some success, though. Rodgers and company went 57 yards in around three minutes.

Unfortunately, that drive ended with a turnover on downs. The Steelers opted to run the ball up the middle with Kenneth Gainwell on 4th-and-2 at the Bills’ seven-yard line. Hopefully, that wasn’t Rodgers’ decision, if he was even calling plays.

It wouldn’t be surprising to hear that Rodgers calls some plays sometimes. Perhaps Smith allows him some freedom based on what he sees. He reportedly had a problem with Russell Wilson changing plays last year. However, Rodgers and Smith seem to have a good relationship, so perhaps there’s a little more freedom for the quarterback.

Either way, Week 13 certainly wasn’t Smith’s best day as a play caller. Roethlisberger criticized him further during that same podcast.

“It seems like if you’re not an Arthur Smith guy, you’re left behind. It seems like he doesn’t like Pat Freiermuth, obviously. He didn’t get one ball thrown his way… You pay Pat Freiermuth a lot of money. Use him… You paid a guy $150 million in DK Metcalf. Why does he have the same amount of catches as Kenneth Gainwell?.. Is that Aaron Rodgers, or is that the scheme? It seems like it’s a lot of scheme.”

Roethlisberger might have a point. Smith has a history of utilizing familiar players. When the Steelers hired him last year, they also brought in several players who had played for Smith before. Those included Cordarrelle Patterson, Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson, and MyCole Pruitt.

The team traded for Jonnu Smith this year, another player with a long history with Arthur Smith. Despite minimal productivity, he’s eaten into a substantial amount of Freiermuth’s snaps. Freiermuth has been effective at times this year. The Steelers just haven’t used him much.

Similar things could be said about Metcalf. Although he has had issues, the Steelers haven’t often put him in a position to succeed. Roethlisberger blames that on Smith’s scheme. Whatever the reason, the Steelers’ offense needs to improve going forward.