If you surveyed 100 Pittsburgh Steelers fans before the start of the season on which position group was the most worrisome, I’d wager 75 percent of them would have said the offensive line for an overwhelming majority. Halfway through the season, they aren’t even close to the worst unit, and are starting to turn into one of the real strengths of the roster.
Mike Tomlin discussed the unit’s growth during The Mike Tomlin Show on YouTube.
“We’ve invested a lot of draft capital in assembling particularly the young components of this group,” Tomlin said. “And they’re all getting better with work as individuals and as a collective.”
Say what you want about Pro Football Focus, but their most recent offensive line ranking had the Steelers at No. 9. They started the season at No. 21. Almost everyone thought they were going to be below average at best. The overwhelming narrative was centered on whether or not they would get 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers killed.
To be fair to all the analysts out there, it started off extremely shaky. They allowed seven sacks over the first two weeks. Since then, they’ve only allowed eight sacks on Rodgers across six games. He is only the 23rd most-sacked QB this season, and that’s behind players like Lamar Jackson and Carson Wentz, who have only played in five games so far.
A similar story played out in the running game. They only rushed for 189 total yards over the first three games for a paltry 63 yards per game. The three games after that jumped up to 378 yards for a much-improved 126 per game. Yes, that is exactly double the first figure. The last two weeks haven’t been as strong on either front, but there are natural ebbs and flows to the season.
One of the top young players on the rising group is OT Troy Fautanu. He only started one game in his rookie season before his year was cut short with a knee injury. In eight starts this season, PFF has dinged Fautanu for zero sacks and only two penalties committed in 466 offensive snaps played.
“He’s just gaining experience. Certainly the talent is there,” Tomlin said. “He didn’t get a lot of opportunities last year due to injury, and so I’m really excited to watch him grow and get a feel for the game, and the experience that comes with playing. Really the knowing that his talents are sufficient, that he can do it. And he certainly can.
“I think it’s reasonable to expect that collective to continue to pick things up.”
With two first-rounders, a second-rounder, and a fourth-rounder invested in the starting group right now, expectations should have been higher all along. As they jell and grow into their positions at the NFL level, things will continue to improve for Pittsburgh’s offense. And an underrated aspect of that this season is Aaron Rodgers helping get them all in the most advantageous position at the line of scrimmage.
The offensive line went from the fan base’s biggest fear to the roster’s quiet backbone. It turns out the draft and develop method still can work in Pittsburgh, but a little patience is sometimes required.
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