The Pittsburgh Steelers moved from No. 20 to No. 17 in Pro Football Focus’s offensive line power rankings in Week 4, thanks to solid performances from Zach Frazier and James Daniels. Frazier had a 91.3 run-blocking grade in Week 3, the third-highest among all offensive linemen, while Daniels leads all guards with a 93.3 overall grade through three weeks.
While it was tough sledding on the ground for the Steelers early, the line did a solid job throughout the game and helped the Steelers eclipse 100 yards on the ground. Things really opened up in the fourth quarter as Pittsburgh put the Chargers away to move to 3-0. Spencer Anderson and Mason McCormick rotated at left guard, and McCormick’s pressure rate on 13 pass-blocking snaps was the best among rookie offensive linemen.
The line will get a boost when Isaac Seumalo returns, but if he doesn’t this week, Mike Tomlin said yesterday that the Steelers will continue to rotate McCormick and Anderson, and it’ll be interesting to see if McCormick can put together another strong performance.
Losing OT Troy Fautanu to a knee injury was a blow to Pittsburgh’s line, and PFF didn’t like what Broderick Jones did on Sunday, giving him just a 51.2 overall grade, the lowest on the offensive line. Jones is going to need to bounce back from a rough start to the season, but he played much cleaner on Sunday than he did the week prior, which was a positive development.
The Steelers take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, and they’re going up against an offensive line that ranks as PFF’s best unit in the league. The Colts allowed four pressures on 22 drop backs on Sunday, but even with the line blocking well, QB Anthony Richardson has struggled with interceptions this season, throwing six in three games. OG Quenton Nelson has the highest pass-blocking grade in the league through three weeks with a 90.1 overall pass-blocking grade.
For as good of a unit as the Colts have been in pass protection, they’re still a team that wants to run the ball. The offensive line has done a good job blocking for Jonathan Taylor, who has 261 yards and three touchdowns on the ground this season. But their lack of success in the passing game is notable even with a lack of pressure. And it could wind up being a good day for the Steelers’ defense if they can force pressure on top of Richardson’s overall lack of accuracy and poor decision-making at times this season.
