4 positives to take away from Steelers gut-wrenching performance vs Lions
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers offensive line held up admirably
Fans are quick to throw shade on the offensive line — they’re an easy target. However, after rewatching the game, this unit did a very good job overall, especially considering the fact that they lost both starting guards in this contest (Kevin Dotson and Trai Turner).
In their stead, J.C. Hassenauer and Joe Haeg filled in admirably, but it was really the unit as a whole that I was impressed with. On the ground, the Steelers offensive line paved the way for Pittsburgh’s rushing attack to explode for 145 yards on 4.7 yards per attempt, and they were responsible for carving out some pretty impressive lanes on the ground.
Through the air, this unit did a good job keeping Mason Rudolph upright. Rudolph was barely hit in this contest and the Lions weren’t able to sack him even once. While the results of the passing game weren’t good in Week 10, the offensive line really isn’t to blame.
Sadly, the Steelers will be without Dotson for at least several weeks as he deals with a high ankle sprain. Let’s hope that this unit can get healthy soon as they try to continue to improve down the stretch.