The offensive line was arguably the most significant variable on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster coming into the season. After their first showing against the New York Jets last week, that variable doesn’t seem to be heading in the right direction. However, one member of that unit, Zach Frazier, believes things will get better quickly.
“Yeah, I think we’re gonna respond and have a lot better of a game this week,” Frazier said after Wednesday’s practice via Steelers.com. “That’s what we have to do. We have to bring it every week, and that’s what we’re gonna do this week.”
Frazier isn’t a man of many words but makes himself clear here. In the passing game, this unit had obvious weaknesses. Broderick Jones at left tackle was the biggest, allowing three of the four sacks Aaron Rodgers took. However, he wasn’t the only problem. Pittsburgh rarely gave Rodgers a clean pocket, and the line struggled in about every aspect. One of the sacks even came from a missed blitz pickup by Kenneth Gainwell.
The issues weren’t only prevalent in pass blocking, either. The Steelers only managed to pick up 53 yards on the ground and were outrushed by nearly 130 yards. That’s not a recipe for winning games, especially in Arthur Smith’s offense. Zach Frazier himself was a part of that issue, posting a lowly run blocking grade of just 49.8 courtesy of Pro Football Focus. To give him some credit, though, he was good against the pass with an 83.9 grade in that department.
This unit has a lot of potential, but one of the biggest worries revolved around how unproven it was. Unfortunately, that lack of experience shined bright on Sunday. Neither of the tackles played especially well. Frazier and Mason McCormick were arguably the best of the unit, but neither did well against the run. The only veteran on the unit, Isaac Seumalo, also had a rough outing.
Fortunately for the O-line, the Seahawks aren’t dominant in the trenches. They were relatively efficient last week, but did give up 119 rushing yards to the 49ers. They weren’t in Brock Purdy’s pocket a ton either, with just one sack on the day.
That said, we may be unable to treat any team as a light matchup based on how the offensive line looked on Sunday. Zach Frazier knows his unit needs to get better quickly and aims to do so this week.
