The Steelers' offense doesn't have many experienced players to turn to for leadership this season. And I'm not talking about vocal leadership, this is about which players can do the heavy lifting for the offense in big moments.
The two players that fit that best fit that category are the only two offensive players that made the Pro Bowl this year, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro. Even though JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner are needed playmakers, the both DeCastro and Pouncey can do the work to control the middle of the field.
Doing so allows for the rest of the offense to operate more efficiently, and that can be the unit's ticket to doing just enough to win their final two games:
The Bills dominated the trench war with the Steelers and that was the key factor that led to Devlin Hodges taking more risks than normal. Pouncey and DeCastro needed to be the primary players that didn't let that happen, as well as players they could rely on during those risky plays.
But even in those shot moments, there were mistakes in the middle of the Steelers' line. Hodges' third interception of the game was a direct result of that when Pouncey missed Tremaine Edmunds on a blitz and it forced an early throw. The Bills showed a potential dual A-gap blitz in front of Pouncey with both their linebackers, but only Edmunds rushes.
Pouncey lets him slip by, which forces Conner to pick him up and not handle the blitzing cornerback. James Washington's deep crossing route was the perfect design against the Bills' Cover 3 zone, but Hodges didn't see him break wide open in time before he forced a throw into double coverage:
This is where Randy Fichtner has to lean on his best players and ask the most of them to compensate for the best strengths of opposing defenses. It's tough to ask him to have Hodges and other rookies and practice squad talents so prepared, but this is where he has to have his best veterans ready.
They weren't last week against the Bills' defensive tackles Jordan Phillips, Ed Oliver and Star Lotulelei. That led to the Steelers' running game being shut down and unreliable for most of the night. Outside of Conners' two longest runs, the Steelers' running game averaged less than 1.5 yards per carry.
The offensive line should've had a plan to double up on and dominate Phillips or Oliver throughout the game to negate their impact. Doing so would also allow for one of the pair doubling a defensive tackle to chip off and get to Edmunds, the Bills' premiere linebacker.
Pouncey has a history of not doing well against bigger and more physical defensive tackles like the Eagles' Fletcher Cox or the Ravens' Brandon Williams in recent years. This should've led to the rest of the Steelers' line figuring ways to help out Pouncey, and that's a fault of planning.
Watch how Pouncey fails to shut down Phillips on a play he sets up. Phillips not only wins his gap against Pouncey, he works down the line to make the tackle:
This isn't a new plan either, as the Steelers constructed a similar plan to deal with Aaron Donald, the best defensive tackle in the NFL. Though that plan involved moving Matt Feiler to guard, the Steelers still made a point to double Donald during the game to open up opportunities for other players to win better matchups.
Watch this six yard gain by Jaylen Samuels where Feiler and Alejandro Villanueva double team Donald in the hole and how that allows Villanueva to attack the second level of the defense. This is what the Steelers needed more of against the Bills:
The Jets have their own tough defensive tackle in Quinnen Williams, the third overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. He and Steve McLendon have played significant roles in the Jets establishing their rank as third in defending the run.
There cannot be another game where the Steelers' offensive line looks like it did against the Bills if the Steelers hope to make the playoffs. Part of that will be about their execution and missing key steps at certain points. But responsibility still falls on Fichtner to make sure this group is ready to take on the Jets with the proper plan of attack.
If they don't, it could be the closing note of what's been an inspiring 2019 season.
Dec. 19: Double-edged defensive aggression
Dec. 18: Offensive woes bigger than Fichtner
Dec. 17: Bush settles into NFL role
Dec. 16: Where was the o-line?
