The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the game planning to rotate Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones at right tackle. Instead, the only thing Jones did was rotate himself out of the game.
After Fautanu started and played the Steelers’ first two series, Jones entered the game on the third drive. Backed up on their half-yard line following a great punt by Denver’s Riley Dixon, the Steelers moved their way out of their end zone and drove downfield.
Their promising drive was ended by Broderick Jones. He committed three penalties in the span of a 14-play drive, including the ones negated by penalty.
On third and 6, he moved early and was flagged for a false start. Still, the offense converted the ensuing 3rd and 11, QB Justin Fields hitting WR George Pickens for a 16-yard gain. Three plays later on a 1st and 10, Jones was flagged for holding, negating a RB Najee Harris run and backing Pittsburgh up into a 1st and 20.
But the most impactful penalty came two plays later. On 2nd and 18, Fields broke the pocket and scrambled right. He drilled Pickens with a dime for a would-be 51-yard completion down the right sideline against elite-level cornerback Patrick Surtain. A huge play but one wiped out by Jones again flagged for holding.
Add two other negative plays, a missed block on a gap run and once losing the edge in pass protection, and Jones was sent back to the bench before the drive even ended. Fautanu returned to the field for the final plays, and the once-promising drive ended with a Pittsburgh punt.
The idea of rotating tackles rarely works out. Pittsburgh wanted to find a way to get all three of its top options on the field: Fautanu, Jones, and Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle. Instead, the Steelers found out the hard way what happens when you try to throw linemen in mid-game. And their trio has almost certainly turned back into a duo of Moore and Fautanu.
