The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos 13-6 in an ugly affair last Sunday where the points were few and the flags were many. Pittsburgh managed to run for 141 yards against Denver’s defense, and a big component of their success was headlined by rookie C Zach Frazier, who managed to create several big holes that Pittsburgh’s running back exploited for crucial pickups on the ground.
The Film
Zach Frazier fared well in his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons the previous week, and he managed to pick up right where he left off against Denver. He did a good job handling his assignments as a run blocker throughout the game like on this play, where Pittsburgh was backed up against their own goal line. Frazier manages to get leverage on the defensive tackle across from him on the line of scrimmage as he blocks him down the line, pancaking him into the turf as RB Najee Harris hits the crease and turns upfield for first down yardage as he gets into the Denver secondary.
Frazier was known for his brute strength coming out of West Virginia, having the base and hand strength to stop opposing defenders in their tracks. Look at the clips below as Frazier stonewalls his opposition at the line with the first clip showing Frazier turning the nose tackle away from the hole and holds him there as Harris is able to get to right side, having tons of room to run to the middle of the field. We see the same in the second clip where QB Justin Fields takes a shot down the field to WR Van Jefferson. Frazier gets his hands inside the chest of the defensive tackle and latches on, standing him straight up to neutralize the rush as Fields fires the ball down the field, but Jefferson is unable to corral the catch.
While a strong blocker when firmly set in place, Frazier also showed against Denver that he can move his feet to seal off defenders in the running game. Watch this clip below where Frazier engages DL D.J. Jones and runs his feet laterally as RG James Daniels leaves to block the linebacker, working to seal off Jones from getting into the running lane. Frazier manages to get position on Jones and seal him off for Harris to cut up the hole into the second level, eventually getting brought down in the secondary after a successful run up the middle set up by Frazier and Daniels.
It wasn’t all good for Frazier on Sunday as he did have some moments when he got caught out of position and missed his assignment. One instance came on this play below where Frazier shoots his hands and head forward on DL D.J. Jones, who swims over the block attempt, easily clearing the whiff by Frazier and getting into the backfield to slow down RB Jaylen Warren, who eventually gets taken down for just a minimal gain.
While Frazier showed that he can make blocks on the move and work to get position to seal defenders off, he doesn’t possess that phenomenal open field quickness to cover up shiftier defenders regularly. Watch this clip below as Frazier snaps the ball and attempts to climb up to the second level and get a body on LB Alex Singleton, who easily evades the block attempt by working to the left, out maneuvering Frazier to get in on the tackle attempt near the line of scrimmage.
Zach Frazier followed up his strong NFL debut with another solid showing against the Denver Broncos, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Frazier was Pittsburgh’s best performer along the offensive line in the contest, making his mark by springing Pittsburgh’s longest runs. Fellow rookie OT Troy Fautanu also had a strong showing against Denver, giving Pittsburgh two promising rookies who could be mainstays along their offensive line for years to come.
LG Isaac Seumalo is getting closer to returning from his pec injury, which would only further strengthen Pittsburgh’s offensive line and benefit Frazier by playing next to a seasoned veteran. This unit still has a lot of work to do to gel together and hit their stride, but the early returns from Frazier to start the season remain promising for the beginning of his career in Pittsburgh.
