There’s been an overall frustration with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense through the first eight games of the season, from the media and fans. And now, it seems like some players have expressed their frustrations.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, veteran right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was upset with the Steelers calling the same run plays in the Week Eight loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading to a sideline outburst late in the 20-10 loss. That ultimately led to his benching in Week Nine for rookie Broderick Jones and now seems to have him on the bench for good.
Though Okorafor would not get into detail on what happened or why against the Jaguars, stating that he’s moving forward and taking things day by day, Dulac reported Friday that Okorafor was upset the Steelers were calling the same run plays while trailing the Jaguars.
“Okorafor was upset the offense was using the same plays despite trailing the entire game, including 17-3 in the third quarter. It is unclear to whom Okorafor directly vented his anger and what else might have been said or done,” Dulac writes.
Considering all the issues the Steelers have had this season offensively, ranking 28th in total yards (278.5), 24th in passing yards per game (188.0), and 24th in rushing yards per game (90.5), not to mention 29th in points per game, it’s a bit surprising that Okorafor was that upset about the same run plays being used against the Jaguars, considering Pittsburgh ended up rushing for 80 yards on 17 carries.
That output is nowhere near as bad as the Steelers have had at other points in the season. Yet, the frustration boiled over for the veteran offensive tackle, which head coach Mike Tomlin deemed “significant,” leading to his placement on the bench.
With Okorafor on the bench, the Steelers had a season-best rushing performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week Nine, rushing for 166 yards with Jaylen Warren ripping off 88 yards on 11 carries and Najee Harris grinding out 69 yards on 16 carries. The Steelers scored an opening-drive touchdown on a 10-yard run from Harris, giving Pittsburgh its first opening-drive touchdown since Week 15 of last season on the road against Carolina.
The incident gave Tomlin and the Steelers a window to make a change, getting Jones into the lineup. Now it appears that he’s in the lineup for good this season at right tackle.
