3 positives to take away from Steelers Week 2 loss against Raiders

Steelers young OL continues to get much-needed experience

There’s really no sugarcoating it: the Steelers offensive line has been abysmal to begin the 2021 season. For those wondering if things could get any worse along the offensive line than what Pittsburgh had in 2020, the answer is ‘yes.’

Fortunately, there is some reason for optimism. While I don’t think anyone on their line had a particularly good performance in Week 2, they seemed to hold up better as the game went on. What’s important to consider is that this is an extremely young group that should only improve with more repetitions.

Rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. has arguably been the best offensive lineman on the team so far this year (which isn’t necessarily saying a lot), but he should only continue to grow and develop in his knowledge of the game and his assignments. Meanwhile, Zach Banner could be set for a return soon. Though there’s no guarantee he would be an upgrade over Chukwuma Okorafor, we would have to assume that he will be when healthy.

This unit has a long way to go before they can even be considered average among other NFL teams, but with so many young players, the experience and continuity that each game brings should help them develop quickly.

It’s not easy finding things to get excited about after a loss like this, but not all news is bad. It’s still very early in the season and there is plenty of time to turn this ship around. Let’s hope the Steelers can do exactly that against the Bengals in Week 3.