File this one under the category of not making much sense. Despite leading a rushing attack that grinded out 202 yards in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line remained the No. 18 ranked unit in the NFL ahead of Week 18 in Pro Football Focus’ rankings.
It seems as if the Steelers line got dinged for its work in pass protection, as PFF had the unit as the fifth-worst offensive line in the league when it came to pass-blocking efficiency. Pittsburgh allowed 12 pressures on 26 drop backs, but Mason Rudolph was only sacked one time and did a good job hanging in the pocket. PFF also dinged center Mason Cole, who had just a 48.5 overall grade and a 48.6 grade in the run game. PFF has Cole down for a negative grade on 75 run plays, second-most among NFL centers.
Cole hasn’t had the best season, but he’s improved a little bit blocking-wise in the second half of the season after being a mess earlier this season. However, the progress has been tempered by his struggles snapping the ball, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a new starting center is high on Pittsburgh’s priority list this offseason.
Isaac Seumalo was credited with a positive grade on seven run plays against Seattle, the fourth-highest among any guard in Week 17. But only Seumalo and Broderick Jones earned respectable run-blocking grades against Seattle, which is a bit of a surprise given just how well Pittsburgh ran the ball. But really, all that matters is the Steelers played well, ran well, and won. I don’t think anyone is concerned about grades after the performance the Steelers just had.
The Ravens’ offensive line didn’t move up or down after their blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, as they remain the third-best offensive line in the NFL. Kevin Zeitler missed the Week 17 performance, and while he was an estimated limited participant on Tuesday for Baltimore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they hold him out again with the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs already clinched. Ben Cleveland replaced him last week and earned a 70.0 overall grade. The Ravens rotated their offensive tackles, as both Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele saw snaps last week. They could see more this week with the Ravens potentially wanting to rest Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses.
Either way, the Ravens have a talented offensive line, but the Steelers had success getting to the quarterback against Baltimore in Week Five. If they can replicate that success, they have a good shot of winning on Saturday.
