The Pittsburgh Steelers have displayed more weaknesses than even the most pessimistic of fans expected them to have. Of course, the surprise of the defensive struggles doesn’t exactly wash away the concerns on the offensive line, just because they were expected.
The Steelers' young front five has not been great. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked seven times already, tied for fourth most in the league heading into Week 3. He’s faced pressure on nearly a third of his drop-backs.
For what it’s worth, the Steelers have faced two of the more unheralded but clearly talented pass-rushing units in the NFL. The New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks are both near the top of the league in sacks, pressures, hits, and pressure rate - Seattle more so than New York.
Still, head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t seem overly concerned by the performance of his offensive line in the long term.
Mike Tomlin isn’t panicking over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line struggles
On Tuesday, Tomlin spoke about his offensive line broadly, mentioning that he likes the unit’s trajectory but admits they could be better.
“I like our group,” he said in his weekly press conference. “We’re going to continue to get better. We have to work in that spirit. Certainly, we could have been better in some areas last week, but that’s life.”
Still, he’s not worried about the trend of Rodgers facing so much pressure early on. He suggested that the pressure Rodgers faced in Week 2 occurred during more “reasonable circumstances” based on the flow of the game, whereas against the Jets, the pressure was more disruptive on early downs.
While most Steelers fans are satisfied with who is playing on the offensive line and their collective long-term potential, it doesn’t change the fact that the product on the field hasn’t been good, and another strong pass rush is poised to rip through them again this week.
The New England Patriots lead the NFL in sacks through two weeks with nine. Granted, five of those sacks came against the Miami Dolphins, who aren’t doing much of anything well in 2025.
Still, it’s not as though the Patriots are some sort of fluke to lead the NFL in this regard so early. They’ve had favorable matchups, but they also made efforts in the offseason to boost the unit’s capability.
Harold Landry, who currently shares the league lead in sacks with 3.5, was a veteran pickup this offseason. He’s averaged nearly 10 sacks per season in his career. Then there’s Milton Williams, who came over from Philadelphia. With two sacks himself, he’s on track to have a career year as a pass rusher.
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While Steelers fans would probably like for Tomlin to show more concern about the unit they’re facing, the reality is that the stock the team places in the offensive line is clearly a long-term investment, and short-term failures are viewed as learning opportunities.
But for that to be the case, fans want to see some results in the improvement category. With another tough draw against a strong pass rush, though, it’s tough to imagine the light switch will flip on so suddenly for Pittsburgh’s offensive front.