Pro Football Focus released the final version of its weekly offensive line rankings, and the Pittsburgh Steelers received a small bump from their pre-Week 18 ranking. The Steelers finished the season at No. 17, and PFF called the unit “a force to be reckoned with” when it came to run blocking.
The placement at No. 17 put the Steelers’ offensive line as the second-best in the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens were far and away the highest-rated group, finishing the season ranked at No. 5. But the Steelers edged the Cleveland Browns (No. 22), who were dealt some injury blows with the losses of Jack Conklin, Dawand Jones and Jedrick Wills for the season, and the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 26). Cincinnati’s offensive line continues to be a problem even with the team spending big to bring Orlando Brown Jr. to town.
Of all playoff teams, the Pittsburgh offensive line ranks 11th out of 14. The only teams below them are the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 18), San Francisco 49ers (No. 21) and Cleveland. Pittsburgh’s middling ranking largely stems from its issues in pass protection, as Dan Moore Jr. had the lowest pass-block grade of any offensive tackle in the NFL, and his pressure rate of 10.8% was also the worst among starting left tackles.
The group isn’t lacking bright spots though, as PFF notes Isaac Seumalo has the sixth-highest grade of any offensive guard since Week 3. It also credited Pittsburgh’s run blocking.
“The Pittsburgh offensive line was torn apart by the 49ers pass rush in Week 1 and endured a rough start to the year,” PFF’s Zoltan Buday wrote. “That led to rookie Broderick Jones winning the right tackle position down the road, which helped stabilize the unit. Furthermore, the Steelers’ offensive line turned into a force to be reckoned with in run blocking.”
While Pittsburgh’s rough Week 1 to Broderick Jones eventually earning the right tackle job full-time in Week 9 aren’t connected, it is true that the line became a force in run blocking, and that really started when Jones entered the starting lineup. Jones still has a lot of work to do and has struggled at times, but he’s undoubtedly a very talented run blocker and his ability in that facet of the game helped spark Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris to huge finishes to the season. For all his struggles early in the season, Harris finally cracked the 4.0 yards per carry mark, getting to 4.1, which is a testament to the strength of the offensive line.
In the Steelers’ first playoff matchup on Sunday, they’ll be taking on the No. 6 offensive line in the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are anchored by OT Dion Dawkins, who has allowed just one sack this season at right tackle. With Pittsburgh not having T.J. Watt for Sunday’s game, the Steelers are going to have to be creative and find ways to get after QB Josh Allen and force him to make mistakes if they want to take home the win.
