The Pittsburgh Steelers inched out a win against the Falcons in Week 1, but it was a game with a lot of ugly spots in it. In particular, the rushing offense looked like a shell of itself for most of the game.
For the majority of the bout, there was little to no space. Atlanta stacked the box and dared Pittsburgh to throw deep. That makes any running back’s job more difficult.
However, I don’t think the interior of the line did a great job of run blocking. Spencer Anderson felt lackluster and like the biggest liability on the line. It makes you miss the days of having Isaac Seumalo on the roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are already missing Isaac Seumalo on their line
While Seumalo isn’t a dominant player anymore, he is a steady blocker for whatever team he is on. He can maul in the run game and hold his own against pass rushers. He showed that steady version of himself for the Cardinals on Sunday.
While Arizona wasn’t dominant on the ground, they found more consistent success. According to SumerSports, the Cardinals had a mediocre 38.2% success rate on the ground, but it was leagues above the Steelers, who finished dead last in Week 1 with a paltry 23.8% mark.
The success on the ground wasn’t just because of Seumalo, but he certainly played a hand in the success there.
It feels like a steady veteran would be helpful on this team right now. I’m as big a fan of Anderson as anyone, but his best tape seems to come as a depth player, not when lining up as a traditional guard.
Would Seumalo have opened up a plethora of rushing lanes for this offense? Probably not, but the line as a whole would have been a little further ahead.
You have a very inexperienced right side of the line right now. It showed on Sunday. Seumalo still being here would have allowed Mason McCormick to help the right side of the line.
It isn’t like Seumalo broke the bank this year either. He got a small pay raise from the Cardinals, but his deal still pales in comparison to the guard contracts that are being handed out. Pittsburgh certainly could have afforded to bring the veteran back.
It is still early, and there will be time for this line to gel, but the early return wasn’t great. It certainly makes the team moving on from Seumalo look like the wrong choice one game into the season.
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