After their Week 2 loss against the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a massive setback. Although many had tempered expectations despite a win in their first game of the campaign, many were worried the team wasn't very good.
Another poor offensive showing, especially by star wide receiver DK Metcalf has made matters worse, but that shouldn't deter people from passing the blame elsewhere.
Their game against the Patriots might've shown that Metcalf is severely overpaid by the Steelers, but their offensive line cannot be overlooked because of it. They have invested heavily into that group, yet they are not living up to the hype to start the season. Their first two games of the year have shown poor pass protection and little push with their run blocking. It's getting ugly up front.
Yes, you can certainly put Metcalf at the top of the blame list for the early-season offensive struggles for Pittsburgh, but the offensive line is just as bad, if not worse.
Their poor play across the board might force a quick reshuffling upfront to a unit that already looks discombobulated. Dylan Cook takes a lot of heat, but guys like Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick are veterans letting this group down.
Pittsburgh Steelers DK Metcalf early season problems overshadowing offensive line concern
It's easy to blame DK Metcalf, especially after this week's performance where his routine drops are starting to rear its ugly head. The Steelers are paying him too much money for this sort of effort. Everyone should expect more from him, and hopefully for the offense, these early-season woes will cease. Despite Metcalf's high price tag, this organization has invested more into the offensive line.
Reality is that if the Steelers want to, they could get rid of Metcalf this upcoming offseason if he doesn't turn things around. Their offensive line has seen the club invest four draft picks in their starting lineup in the trenches, three of those being a former fourth-rounder and two first-round picks.
They also have another first-round selection waiting on the bench to eventually dethrone Dylan Cook from the lineup.
The number of years and draft investment they have put into the offensive line has been massive, yet the Steelers are waiting to see positive returns from it. Neither Fautanu nor McCormick are off to a start to the season as you'd like to see, and Spencer Anderson has been downright awful. Their switch from the right to the left side has been a bumpy road. Pittsburgh better pray both of those players start to get better.
You can blame Metcalf all you want, and he deserves a lot of negative press going his way, but don't overlook the offensive line.
With an old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they are going to get him killed with similar performances as they had against New England. Things won't be getting easier for them this season, so they need to finally show they are the players the team thought they were drafting.
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