The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line has been in a constant state of flux throughout the 2024 season. To this point, they have done a good job at absorbing the injuries by utilizing the timely infusion of depth gained through the NFL draft. Ryan McCollum had to step in for his first start as a Steeler in place of Zach Frazier last week and held up well. But that test will be pushed to its limits against the New York Giants in Week 8 when McCollum matches up on NT Dexter Lawrence.
Lawrence has emerged as one of the best defensive linemen in the league over the last two seasons. He made the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro list over the last two seasons and received some Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2023. He currently leads the league in sacks with 9.0 as a nose tackle and is probably trending toward winning his first DPOY award. That is a daunting task for McCollum, who will be making just his third start in the NFL Monday night at Acrisure Stadium.
As for McCollum’s first Steelers start, Mike Tomlin gave it “double thumbs up,” but that doesn’t mean they can expect that to continue against a player of Lawrence’s caliber.
“Dexter Lawrence is a problem,” Tomlin said Tuesday during his weekly press conference via a video on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “He’s a problem in the running game. He’s a problem in the passing game. I think he leads the NFL in sacks but he’s just a dominant, dominant player.
“I remember when I took those guys out to dinner when he came out of Clemson a number of years back, and I was sitting having a conversation with him and Christian Wilkins, and they were sitting on a love seat. And that love seat was crowded and Christian Wilkins looked really small. And we all know Christian is not small. You’re not gonna get a lot done unless you’re prepared to put four hands on [Lawrence]. Guys like Ryan McCollum, who are getting an opportunity to ascend and play, it’s gonna be a significant challenge, but we better do more than wish Ryan McCollum luck.”
If they don’t properly prepare for Lawrence, he can completely wreck the game in a matchup where the Steelers are favored by six points. That is likely going to include consistently doubling him with either Mason McCormick or Isaac Seumalo.
Surprisingly, the Giants are the eighth-worst rushing defense in the league, allowing 138.1 yards per game. The Steelers should still be able to scheme up ways to find success on the ground, and they are going to need to. If they get into positions where McCollum needs to drop anchor against Lawrence in the passing game on more downs than not, that could spell disaster for the offense.
He’s already had three games with multiple sacks, including a three-sack game a few weeks ago. At his current pace, Lawrence would finish the season at 21.9 sacks. That is basically within striking range of breaking the single-season sack record that T.J. Watt shares with Michael Strahan at 22.5. For a nose tackle, that is almost unfair. Yeah, he is going to be a problem.
