Consistency of execution is asking too much. Even Pro Football Focus concedes that Myles Garrett loses a pass rush rep once every other month or so. Consistency of effort, however, should be a given. It hasn’t always been this year, particularly with respect to the mission the Pittsburgh Steelers set out for themselves entering this season, which was to play bully ball, as they did against Seattle.
The good news is they’ve made significant strides in that department lately. The results aren’t always there, but the effort is, the physicality is. The last three games in particularly have been witness to a growing confidence within particularly the offense as they wage war on the line of scrimmage. The Buffalo Bills understand it’s on them to measure up to that. Or else.
“It starts with a mindset. You have to have that”, head coach Sean McDermott said about facing the Steelers, via Pittsburgh’s website. “It’s a physical game, they are a physical team. If we want to have a chance, we have to play a physical game. That’s the style of football you have to play, particularly this time of year and against this football team”.
If only that were more consistently true throughout the decade, but no, indeed, there have been periods where the focus had been more on finesse than about winning the line of scrimmage. Either means is equally capable of producing mixed results, but when you aim to be the more physical team and you simply can’t measure up, you’re going to have a long day. They have to be in Buffalo.
Bills defensive line coach Eric Washington in particular sounded the warning against the Steelers’ run game and backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. “Both backs are extremely physical. The offensive line prides itself on dominating the line of scrimmage”, he said. “We’re going to have to match and exceed their physicality. Our discipline, ability to separate from blocks”.
“We just are going to have to match and exceed their physicality”.
The Steelers added players like G Isaac Seumalo and TE Darnell Washington to strengthen their physical capabilities, and they have paid dividends. Both have been strengths in that area and have gone a long way toward solidifying the blocking this season, particularly the run blocking.
But it’s not just the offense, it’s the defensive front seven as well. DL Cameron Heyward has given offensive linemen fits for over a decade. T.J. Watt might be out, but Alex Highsmith and Markus Golden are more than capable of setting the edge. And Elandon Roberts is one of the most physical middle linebackers in the league. I won’t go without mentioning rookie DL Keeanu Benton, either.
“We know if we want to have any sort of success, we are going to have to match their physicality and intensity”, said Bills C Mitch Morse, who will have to go up against Heyward and Benton directly, and perhaps occasionally Roberts as well. He might be in for the longest day of the starting offensive line. Not that they don’t have physically imposing players on either side of the ball for the Steelers to be wary of as well.
