Since rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones was inserted into the starting lineup at right tackle ahead of the Week Nine Thursday Night Football matchup against the Tennessee Titans, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ run game has taken off.
Jones himself won’t take credit for that success in recent weeks, but it’s no coincidence that the offensive line has played better, and the run game has become one of the better ones in the league in the last month or so, giving the Steelers’ offense great balance overall.
For Jones, it’s more about the offensive line playing more together and being on the same page, rather than him being inserted into the lineup even if he made an immediate impact.
“Like they say, one man don’t stop, no show; one man don’t start it. So, it’s just us as a collective,” Jones said to reporters Thursday, according to video via the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski on Twitter. “Like I said, I feel like we, like in the run game, the offensive line, we’re playing more together. Mason [Cole] is making the points, we’re getting it [calls] in.
“Everybody’s on the same page, so that’s all I feel it is.”
As a collective, the Steelers’ offensive line is playing much better. It’s not just in the run game, too. Though the Steelers have allowed six sacks in the last four weeks, Pittsburgh is protecting second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett better. That’s giving him more time to scan the field and make plays in the passing game.
It’s also providing balance to the offense overall, which opens things up in the run game, an area the Steelers have been quite impressive in over the last month. Over the last four games the Steelers have cracked 150-plus rushing yards in each game, something they haven’t done since the 2004 season.
If they make it five in a row on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Acrisure Stadium, it will be the first time the franchise has done that since 1977. Those are historic numbers the Steelers are putting up in the run game.
It took some time, but the unit has cohesion, especially in the run game, and is starting to take over in that area of the game. Jones is a big part of that — he’s a mauler in the run game — but he’s not the only key to it. The unit as a whole is starting to hit its stride. Center Mason Cole has played his best ball in the run game in recent weeks, while right guard James Daniels and left guard Isaac Seumalo have been quite impressive in the run game since Jones became a starter.
That’s true for Dan Moore Jr., too, and even rookie tight end Darnell Washington.
Pittsburgh has an identity on offense again, and it’s leaning on its offensive line, which is what was expected coming into the season. It just took longer than expected.
