Pittsburgh’s offensive line has been straight-up abysmal through the first two weeks of the season, but their Week 2 performance in the 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots was a special kind of brutal. If you were screaming at your TV about Spencer Anderson, you were absolutely right. The guy allowed seven pressures from the right guard spot alone.
The Pressure Cooker Is Exploding
Seven pressures! That’s the most of any right guard in the entire NFL in Week 2, and no other player at his position allowed more than four pressures. He’s already sitting at third in the league for total pressures allowed after just two games. Yikes. And it’s not like his teammates were picking up the slack, either. Even Zach Frazier, a guy you usually count on, got credited with five pressures in that same game. You gotta wonder how much of that is having Anderson struggling so much next to him, right? And don’t even get me started on right tackle Dylan Cook, who’s racked up six pressures himself over two games. This unit looks lost.
Run Game Devastation and a Bad Plan
It’s not just pass blocking, either. The Steelers literally cannot run to the right side of the field. Rico Dowdle has a measly 13 rushing yards on seven carries to that side, which is the fifth-worst EPA per rush in the NFL for anyone with at least 10 touches. Jaylen Warren isn’t much better, with only 37 yards on seven right-side carries. But the most shocking stat? Warren and Dowdle have a combined eight yards before contact on runs through two weeks. EIGHT YARDS! That is comfortably the worst mark in the entire league. This all stems from an offensive line plan that raised eyebrows even before the season started. They moved a rising star right tackle and a quality right guard to the left side for absolutely no clear reason. Then they stuck a former practice squad fill-in at right tackle, even after he played well at left tackle, and totally failed to replace Isaac Seumalo. All these moves created a completely discombobulated unit that looks lost out there and is actively destroying the offense.
What’s Next For Mike McCarthy’s Crew
The morning after Week 2, the frustration is absolutely justified. If Mike McCarthy truly wants to prove this regime is different from the last, where problems just festered for weeks, he has to make a statement. That means Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook cannot be starting in Week 3. It’s that simple. One tiny bright spot in the Week 2 misery? Germie Bernard. He grabbed four receptions in his second game, something Roman Wilson had only done once in his career before Week 2. Aaron Rodgers even found Bernard three times on one drive that should have scored, before that crushing 3rd-and-7 sack knocked them out of field goal range.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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