The Pittsburgh Steelers have undergone plenty of changes over the past 365 days, including losing Ben Roethlisberger for the rest of the season. Former coach Bill Cowher evaluated the offense without Roethlisberger.

“It was going to be tough anyway. Two years ago you had three of the best players at their positions on offense — Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Ben. It’s just amazing in a short period of time they’ve all been taken away. Wow. They’re in transition mode, they’re trying to find their identity, particularly with Mason Rudolph and that offense. I think the line is fine. Now you may have to adjust how you think about calling the game, how you institute a game plan and who’s healthy — do I have the tight end to run the ball? Maybe I get out of the shotgun and get back to shortening these games, relying on my defense to make plays. Your whole identity might change. That’s how it is in the NFL, you adapt and adjust.”

When Roethlisberger went down with an injury, Mason Rudolph was asked to step in for the veteran quarterback. Rudolph, a second-year player, isn't able to do all of the things that Roethlisberger was able to do.

Therefore, the offense was expected to be adjusted to Rudolph's strengths. On Monday night, Rudolph constantly dinked and dunked to get Pittsburgh's offense down the field.

By doing so, the Oklahoma State product had the best game of his young career in Week 4. Rudolph completed 24 of his 28 passes for 229 yards and two scores. The offense wasn't making a ton of big plays, but they took what the Cincinnati Bengals defense was giving them.

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Courtland Sutton wearing a Steelers jersey next to a Steelers logo

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Along with Rudolph checking it down, the Steelers decided to incorporate the wildcat formation into their offense. After struggling to run the ball in the first three weeks, Pittsburgh had Jaylen Samuels and James Conner share the ball in the wildcat.

As a result, the two running backs combined for 228 yards from scrimmage on Monday. Albeit, it came against the winless Bengals. That may be what the Steelers offense becomes with Roethlisberger on the sideline.