The Pittsburgh Steelers fell four spots to No. 20 in Pro Football Focus’ latest offensive line rankings ahead of Week 3. The drop came after a poor performance in pass protection, as Pittsburgh’s pass-blocking efficiency score per Pro Football Focus was the third lowest in the league.
“Rookie Troy Fautanu made his debut as an NFL starter at right tackle and played 55 of Pittsburgh’s 66 snaps on offense. He ended up with a respectable 64.4 PFF overall grade. Overall, the Pittsburgh offensive line struggled in pass protection. Even though Justin Fields dropped back to pass just 26 times, the Steelers’ unit surrendered 12 pressures, which led to a 76.9 PFF pass-blocking efficiency score — the third-lowest mark among offensive lines in Week 2,” Zoltan Buday writes.
It was definitely a worse week for the offensive line in pass protection than in Week 1, but the Steelers were still able to get a solid day out of their run game. They ran 36 times for 141 yards, with Jaylen Warren averaging 4.7 yards and Najee Harris averaging 4.1 yards as the two combined for 111 yards on the ground.
Another issue from the offensive line was penalties although three of Pittsburgh’s 10 accepted penalties came against Broderick Jones, who rotated in for Troy Fautanu on the team’s third series. Dan Moore Jr. was also flagged for one, but given the fact that Jones was really the biggest issue and won’t be in the starting lineup this weekend, it’s not as much of a concern for the Steelers.
But the group has to be better against the pass rush. Justin Fields was sacked twice for the second week in a row and had to use his legs to avoid being brought down more. This week presents a major test against Los Angeles Chargers, who feature Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree as edge rushers, so Pittsburgh’s line will need to be ready. It’ll be a good litmus test for rookie Troy Fautanu after a solid debut.
As for the Chargers, their offensive line took a big jump after a Week 2 win over the Carolina Panthers, moving to No. 11. Los Angeles allowed just three pressures against the Panthers while leading another strong day on the ground with the team running 44 times for 219 yards. Los Angeles is likely going to be run-heavy again on Sunday, as will the Steelers. The game could come down to whoever can get the most push in the ground game and open things up for their offense.
