The Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line drew heavy criticism over the first two weeks of the season, and rightfully so. Despite significant investments up front, their O-line struggled to create a clean pocket for Aaron Rodgers or running lanes for Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.
That all changed in the Steelers' Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals... and we might have Mike McCarthy to thank.
After just two games, McCarthy made the bold decision to make not one, but two changes on the offensive line, swapping the entire right side of the line. The first-year Steelers head coach benched right guard Spencer Anderson and right tackle Dylan Cook for Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor, respectively.
There was a method to his madness, and it worked.
Because Hoffman and Iheanachor had continuity and chemistry working together in practice, McCarthy insisted on keeping these two players together. Thus, if he was making the decision to bench Anderson, he was going to bench Cook also. Thankfully, the Steelers couldn't have asked for better results in Week 3.
Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor have excellent performances in the Steelers' Week 3 win over the Bengals
This was no easy matchup for Hoffman and Iheanachor. Each of these offensive linemen was making their first-ever start in a Steelers uniform, while Hoffman was tasked with routinely going up against Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence—one of the best players in the NFL at his position.
Meanwhile, Iheanachor, the Steelers' 22-year-old rookie, had a tall task to contain $60 million pass rusher Boye Mafe and rookie phenom Cashius Howell... and he made it look like a walk in the park.
After watching the pocket cave in during each of the Steelers' first two games of the season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers had all day to stand in the pocket and deliver throws against the Bengals' defense, thanks in large part to Hoffman and Iheanachor. This led to nearly 292 passing yards and three scores through the air.
Iheanachor and Hoffman were equally dominant, getting push in the run game. This duo paved the way for Jaylen Warren to rush for a whopping 127 yards on just 17 carries (7.5 yards per carry). In total, the Steelers gained 411 yards of offense in Week 3, and the offensive line deserves the bulk of the credit.
As a result, both Hoffman and Iheanachor earned excellent PFF grades in Week 3. In Hoffman's first Steelers start, the veteran newcomer recorded an outstanding 87.4 overall grade (88.8 pass-block grade) from Pro Football Focus [$]. This is spectacular, considering he faced difficult matchups against Lawrence.
Iheanachor, meanwhile, earned a 73.6 overall grade in his first NFL start, including an impressive 78.0 run-block grade.
This is just one performance, and we need to see Hoffman and Iheanachor repeat. However, there's no question that the entire unit played significantly better in Week 3 against the Bengals than they did in the first two games of the season.
It's a difficult choice for a head coach to make major changes to his starting offensive line after just two weeks, but this is a decision that is already starting to pay off. Right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line looks encouraging—and Coach McCarthy looks like a genius.
Add us as a preferred source on Google