After falling two spots last week in Pro Football Focus’s weekly offensive line rankings, the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line is back on the rise, moving from No. 18 to No. 17 ahead of Week 14.
Pittsburgh suffered a key injury on the offensive line with OG Isaac Seumalo suffering a shoulder injury in the second quarter of the team’s ugly 24-10 to the Arizona Cardinals. But backup Nate Herbig filled in admirably, posting a 91.8 PFF grade in 31 snaps. Despite rising in the rankings, it wasn’t a banner day for most on the offensive line. OT Broderick Jones struggled in pass protection, while C Mason Cole had multiple bad snaps that cost the Steelers, including with one that led to a fumble that Arizona recovered deep in Pittsburgh territory.
Jones posted a 57.3 pass-blocking mark, per PFF, his fourth game and third start where his pass-blocking graded out below 60.0. OG James Daniels also continued his streak of not allowing a sack, as he’s gone all season without letting his assignment bring down the quarterback.
Pittsburgh’s Thursday Night Football opponent in the New England Patriots has the No. 23-ranked offensive line in football, dropping from No. 22, where they were ahead of their matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13. It’s a unit led by OT Trent Brown, who has an 85.0 overall PFF grade this year, which is the third-best mark among tackles. But Brown has been dealing with injuries for much of the season, and in an attempt to manage his workload, he’s been on a snap share with OT Conor McDermott. Against the Chargers in Week 13, Brown played 42 snaps at left tackle while McDermott played 21.
It’s a better run-blocking than pass-blocking unit, but with RB Rhamondre Stevenson likely to miss Thursday Night’s game, it’s going to be RB Ezekiel Elliott that New England is primarily blocking for on the ground. In two games against Pittsburgh, Elliott has 39 carries for 165 yards and three touchdowns, and while he’s not the same back he once was, he can still be productive if the offensive line can carve open some holes for him.
Thursday’s game is probably going to come down to defense, and offensive line play is going to be important for two struggling offenses trying to find a groove coming off rough games. It’s an especially important game for the Steelers, who are still fighting to keep their spot in the playoffs and to avoid back-to-back clunkers after their loss to Arizona on Sunday.
