The Steelers offensive line was quietly impressive vs Patriots
By Tommy Jaggi
The offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers was a major concern in the preseason, but they are outperforming early expectations.
Now, don’t go getting your hopes through the roof, but the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line actually played quite well against the New England Patriots in Week 2. After an up-and-down game in Week 1 on the road against the Bengals, this young unit showed some very encouraging signs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for Mike Tomlin’s team to pull off the win.
All too often, it’s easy for fans to give blame for the lack of success to the offensive line. After watching the game a second time on the broadcast view and a third time with the all-22 film, it’s clear that the offensive line was not the issue in this contest.
When it came to the running game, things still weren’t perfect. Kevin Dotson had one ugly rep where he lost quickly, and there were a few missed assignments. However, most of what I witnessed was very encouraging. I thought Dotson and Mason Cole did an excellent job on double-team blocks Chukwuma Okorafor was rock-solid in the running game — routinely handling the man in front of him.
In pass sets, this offensive line was even more encouraging. Though there were a few quick pressures allowed against the Patriots, the OL had some terrific pass sets where Mitch Trubisky could have hung in the pocket and gone through progressions, but instead decided to deliver the ball quickly to his first read.
Overall, there was really nothing malicious to note from this offensive line. I would venture to say that we are seeing them build chemistry and that the arrow is pointing up. Even Pro Football Focus had 4 of the 5 starting offensive linemen from the Steelers grading out as top-five players on Pittsburgh’s offense this week (Dan Moore Jr. was the only exception). In fact, Chukwuma Okorafor earned the highest offensive grade on the team.
Can Steelers OL build on this performance?
Statistically, Pittsburgh’s offense was abysmal again in Week 2, but I can assure you that the offensive line is hardly to blame. Most of the fingers can be pointed at offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, for his scripted play-calling and poor route concepts as well as QB Mitch Trubisky for lackluster execution and the inability to go through reads.
The offensive line is looking to build on this performance as they face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. It may be a short week with just a few days of preparation, but there’s reason to believe this unit could look good once again in Week 3.
Obviously, the biggest task on their hands is containing All-Pro edge defender, Myles Garrett. Dan Moore Jr. certainly has a tall task on his hands this week. Fortunately, Pittsburgh should be able to afford to shift attention his way early and often. On Monday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Browns pass rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Chase Winovich will both be sidelined with injuries against the Steelers on Thursday night.
Because of this, Chukwuma Okorafor won’t need much assistance against a pair of inexperienced rookies, and the team will be able to chip Garrett on the opposite side with a running back or tight end routinely.
The Steelers offensive line has a chance to build on a very promising performance from Week 2, and this game could prove to boost or shake Dan Moore’s confidence — depending on how things go against Myles Garrett. Another quality performance by this unit in Week 3 could go a long way.