The Pittsburgh Steelers predictably struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Steelers, missing their best receiver in George Pickens, couldn’t get much going on offense. Pittsburgh struggled in various aspects of the game, and if their defense wasn’t able to force a couple of turnovers, the scoreboard could have looked even uglier. One position that struggled was the Steelers’ O-Line.
Although Pittsburgh only allowed two sacks on the day, Russell Wilson wasn’t the safest in the pocket. No particular lineman stood out with terrible performances, but nobody on the unit excelled on Sunday. Most of their issues came against just a four-man rush, which is concerning.
As Pittsburgh continues into the toughest stretch of their season, the offensive line will have to be consistent. Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seemed concerned with the line on Sunday, and he thinks things will only get more challenging as the year continues. Roethlisberger shared his thoughts on Tuesday’s episode of Footbahlin.
“When you can rush four and still get home, that’s scary,” Roethlisberger said. “That means you got all the guys; there’s nowhere to throw it on the back end. Typically, when you rush four, you’re thinking, ‘Okay, I got time to get this ball off… I got time to sit back here and make things happen.’ They [Eagles] were still getting to us. And now listen, it’s gonna continue to get harder for our line up front.”
The line, a unit devastated by injuries to begin the season, has held things together for the most part this year. It’s been a team effort. Young players like Zach Frazier, Broderick Jones and Mason McCormick have taken on huge roles this season, yet they’ve been instrumental in Pittsburgh’s 10-4 record on the year. The Steelers O-line has held strong, but cracks began to show on Sunday.
As Roethlisberger notes, things will only get harder. Pittsburgh’s next two games are against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Both of those matchups will be close, hard-fought, physical affairs. The offensive line will surely be tested, and it’ll need to be stronger than it was on Sunday for Pittsburgh to keep control of the AFC North as the season winds down.
