The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line struggled on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, allowing four sacks in a 9-3 loss. Broderick Jones was the biggest issue for the Steelers, but it wasn’t a great performance all around, and OG James Daniels attributes it to bad technique from guys who were getting beat.
“It was just technique issues. I think people were getting beat, were just doing bad technique. So go fix that,” Daniels said via Steelers.com.
From a technique and set standpoint, Jones was fine, but he really struggled with his punch and power from his punch, something he said he has to fix. The line has to work together to get better because the Steelers won’t win many games if their starting quarterback is on his back three times in five series as Russell Wilson was.
While run blocking will be a focus under Arthur Smith, and the line has had some good moments in the ground game, the inconsistency and struggles in pass blocking will cost this team games. Pat Meyer needs to get this group back on track ahead of Saturday’s preseason game with the Lions, and the offensive line from top to bottom could use a good showing to boost their confidence that they can be a talented group.
This Steelers offensive line has been touted ahead of the season as a potential top-10 unit in football, but they simply have not played that well so far. Getting back on track with a strong showing in the preseason finale should help them as they head into the season, which includes a tough road matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
The offensive line play is Pittsburgh’s biggest issue right now, and if they get it squared away, the offense should be fine and wind up being better than they have been in past years. But if the line continues to struggle, it might be another long slog of a year offensively for Pittsburgh. That’s why it’s paramount for this group as a whole to turn things around. Hopefully, they can continue to grow, improve, and fix their technique issues to keep their quarterback upright and help the Steelers win some football games.
