Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers starting the season 1-0 with their victory over the New York Jets, many fans came away from that game with more questions than answers about this team.
The defense was gashed all day on the ground, and Justin Fields looked better than he ever has as a complete quarterback. The Steelers offense scored 34 points, but they couldn't run the ball whatsoever, and gave up too many quick pressures in pass protection (four sacks on Aaron Rodgers).
Broderick Jones bears much of the blame for Aaron Rodgers' four sacks taken, as he got embarrassed multiple times by Will McDonald IV. Jones' performance against the Jets was a microcosm of his entire Steelers career: solid play for the most part, but inexcusably bad moments as well.
With the Seattle Seahawks up next for Pittsburgh, the young left tackle faces a tough but manageable test against a well-coached defense. If he can hold firm against the litany of rushers that Seattle deploys, it will go a long way towards building his confidence.
Pittsburgh Steelers need Broderick Jones to get redemption against Seahawks
Seattle has a healthy rotation of pass rushers at their disposal, and that was without the returning Uchenna Nwosu last week. Edge rushers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall will be the primary players Jones faces in Week 2, at least based on where they played in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Mafe was the Seahawks' most productive pass rusher in Week 1, and he has elite burst and quickness that can give slower tackles issues. Jones has the athleticism to hang with him, but that didn't stop a similar athlete in McDonald IV from beating him multiple times a week ago. The saving grace for Jones is Mafe's lack of a bull rush, something that has given him trouble in the past.
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That's where Hall could come into play. Hall is a more linear athlete than Mafe, but he has a legit bull rush that I could see being a problem for the Steelers' former first-round pick. He could also have to deal with the savvy veteran defender DeMarcus Lawrence at times, especially on run downs.
That is a lot to prepare for if you are trying to get redemption after a terrible debut game, but none of the aforementioned players are as good at rushing the passer as McDonald has been the past season and change. If Jones can just play a clean game (or at least not get Rodgers killed), then maybe fans can take a breath for at least a week.
If things fall apart again for the young tackle, however, the calls for his spot in the lineup will only grow louder.