The Steelers Early Schedule Helps The Offensive Line Injuries
Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
As much as we loathe them, injuries are 100% entrenched in all sports. With football being the equivalent of a car wreck on every snap, this game has an even greater risk of injury than the others. So it’s not a matter of if someone gets hurt. It’s simply a matter of when and how bad.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have already seen their share of injuries at key positions during the preseason. Newly-named starting quarterback Russell Wilson strained a calf muscle in a conditioning drill before camp even started. Roman Wilson sprained an ankle on the first day of pads. Alex Highsmith and Donte Jackson both had injuries that have kept them out for significant time.
Yet the most significant injuries have come on the offensive line, which usually dictates the fate of the offense, or even the entire team. First, starting center Nate Herbig tore his rotator cuff and is out for the season. While most believed rookie Zach Frazier was on track to take the starting job sooner rather than later, Herbig’s experience and added depth will be missed. Troy Fautanu went down in the first preseason game against the Houston Texans and has not practiced since. He is progressing, but will more than likely miss a few weeks of the regular season.
The biggest loss is Isaac Seumalo, who just happens to be the Steelers’ best offensive lineman. Pittsburgh managed to dodge a much larger bullet, as he avoided a torn pectoral muscle that would have ended his season. Still, he will miss up to a month, which will put him out for at least the first 3 games of the year. The Steelers, and their offensive line in particular, have been through the wringer.
The bright side of Pittsburgh’s situation is that they’re early schedule. If ever there was a time to draw teams that struggled to pressure the quarterback and stop the run, it is now.
Week 1 sees Tomlin’s bunch face the Atlanta Falcons, who finished dead last in Pass Rush Win Rate last year. While they tried to address the matter by trading for pass-rush extraordinaire Matthew Judon, the unit is largely the same. Atlanta is counting on new head coach Raheem Morris and his defensive coordinator chops to help initiate the kind of rush he had with the Los Angeles Rams. Good luck, as having future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald at his disposal went a long way with the Rams. Pittsburgh is catching a break there.
Their next opponent, the Denver Broncos, are in rebuild mode on both sides of the ball. The defense was a unit that gave up a 70-burger to the Miami Dolphins last season. Their Pass Rush Win Rate was 30th in the NFL, and they finished 28th in Run Stop Win Rate and there was no significant additions that make you believe they will be dramatically different in 2024. The Black and Gold should be able to handle Denver’s front-seven.
Next will be the Los Angeles Chargers, who are an interesting bunch. The talent is always there, but they could never put it all together on defense. They have two stud outside rushers in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Mack had 17 sacks last season, but those didn’t translate to many victories. If you ask Chargers fans, Mack never got sacks in obvious passing downs, when the team needed them most. For their efforts, the Chargers finished 29th in PRWR and 25th in RSWR. Jim Harbaugh is an X factor here. Perhaps he’s able to make good where Brandon Staley couldn’t, but until proven different you have to believe San Diego is an ideal matchup as Pittsburghs new offense waits for their lineman to return.
Things get real in week four with the Indianapolis Colts, who finished 5th in PSWR and RSWR, but the hope is Seumalo and Fautanu will both be back and ready to go by then. The offense at that point, minus Roman and barring any other injuries, will have all it’s pieces as it kicks in to a more challenging front.
It’s a good time for injuries. However, if there were ever an opportune time for them to lose much of their offensive line, it’s when they’re playing the least likely opponents to take advantage. With The defensive fronts in the AFC North, Pittsburgh dodged a bullet. We all know what the back end of their schedule looks like. Can you imagine if it was flipped and they started the season that way, with this injury situation?
Yes, this is still adversity, and the Steelers have still their work cut out for them. But their schedule truly does give them an opportunity to steal some wins in an otherwise bleak situation.
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