Steelers vs. Bears: Winners and losers from the Week 9 win
By Andrew Falce
Steelers loser: the offensive line
This is truly one of those “not mad, just disappointed” scenarios for this group. There had been some serious growth from this group in both run and pass blocking, and it seemed as though this group was going to be able to patch together a respectable year. After this game against the Bears, that can’t be said with certainty.
Najee Harris only averaged a pedestrian 2.8 yards per carry which signify that the line failed to truly get a push on running plays. This group also gave up four sacks despite the Bears being down Khalil Mack. While Robert Quinn is a fine edge rusher, Bilal Nichols and Cassius Marsh aren’t. The line struggled against some inferior competition.
The only potential change we can see as well is inserting Zach Banner into the lineup over Chukwuma Okorafor. Okorafor hasn’t been great, but he also wasn’t the worst part of this group against the Bears. This line needs to get back on track and soon. Even if it’s just opening holes for Harris, that should be enough to keep the offense moving forward.