Despite a late week pivot to the backup quarterback Justin Fields, the new-look Pittsburgh Steelers offense was able to do just enough to help the team pull off an upset week in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Since then, there’s been a very of optimistic posts, graphs and statistics floating around social media giving praise to the offense line in particular. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. So, it begs a rather pertinent question: is this the Steelers offensive line finally back?
Best pass block grades in week 1 (via PFF):
1. Saints
2. Eagles
3. Steelers
4. Colts
5. DolphinsWorst
26. Pats
27. Vikings
28. Titans
29. Falcons
30. Rams— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) September 9, 2024
You’d have to go all the way back to the 2019 season to find a year in which Pittsburgh’s offensive line was anything better below average, with lengthy stretches of legitimately abysmal play due to various factors. As we know, the hierarchy in the front office has changed quite a bit with Omar Khan and Andy Wiedl leading the charge. Behind Mike Tomlin’s philosophy of “winning with their bigs”, the organization has been very aggressive investing in talent up front, whether that’s through the draft or free agency.