The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line remains the No. 16 ranked unit in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. That comes on the heels of a 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in which QB Kenny Pickett was sacked three times.
Most of the pass-blocking issues on Sunday were on OL Dan Moore Jr., who got worked by DL Myles Garrett all game. Moore’s has allowed pressure on 11.3% of plays this season, which is the second-worst mark of any offensive tackle who has been on the field for at least 300 pass plays, per PFF.
While Moore has had his struggles in pass protection, one player who’s stepped up in the run game is center Mason Cole. Cole had his share of struggles to start the season, but he’s gotten better as the year has gone on, and his improvement as a run blocker has helped spark Pittsburgh’s rushing attack. He’s 10th among centers over the last three weeks with a 73.5 run-blocking grade. He had a key block to spring RB Jaylen Warren on his 74-yard touchdown run on Sunday.
Guard James Daniels continues to impress as well, as his pass blocking has graded out at 87.8 since Week Seven, second among guards. The offensive line also isn’t at fault for all three of Pickett’s sacks, as there was an instance where he had time to get the ball out but spun into pressure, a recurring problem for him.
The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday, and we’ll see if the offensive line can continue its resurgence in the run game under Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan. Faulkner will assume a bulk of the game-planning duties while Sullivan will call plays, and it’ll be interesting to see how things change and if the offensive line can help the offense build some momentum and get over the hump.
The first chance to do that will be on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. The offensive line that will be blocking for Bengals QB Jake Browning ranks 23rd in the league, but they have some momentum with OT Orlando Brown Jr. coming off his best game as a member of the team. Brown graded out with a 75.1 overall grade, his highest of the season, and he led all offensive linemen with an 85.2 run-blocking grade. Pittsburgh, if you remember, had interest in signing Brown this offseason before he headed to Cincinnati.
Jonah Williams, who’s lined up at right tackle for Cincinnati this season, has had an impressive overall season with a 67.7 overall grade. One potential week spot for the Bengals is at left guard, where Cordell Volson has allowed pressure on 8.8% of pass plays over the last four weeks. That’s a matchup Pittsburgh can look to exploit with DL Cameron Heyward.
After a 13-10 loss to the Browns on Sunday, the Steelers will look to avoid falling to .500 in the AFC North and 6-5 overall with a loss Sunday. The change at offensive coordinator should hopefully give this team a boost and allow the Steelers to get past Cincinnati and Browning, who’s replacing the injured Joe Burrow.
