The Steelers' Secret Bye Week MVP Was Hiding On The Sidelines In Week 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers turned their season around in 2022 after a Week 9 bye. The break came a bit earlier in 2023 and the team rested up during Week 6 while looking ahead to a crucial Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn't pretty throughout, and another slow start almost cost the group, but a strong second half performance and wonderful defense led to a 24-17 win. It was the Steelers largest margin of victory through seven weeks. Mike Tomlin and co. are now 4-2 and are sitting in a pretty good spot as the month of October is coming to a close.

One of the main reasons for the team's 7-2 finish to the 2022 season was a different approach on offense. Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada turned to ground-and-pound football. The big men up front were giving running backs huge lanes to run and the whole operation was much smoother. Entering Week 7 in 2023, Canada's unit had not had a single rushing touchdown.

That changed on Sunday. Three different players found the end zone on the ground. It started with a Kenny Pickett sneak and the duo in the backfield, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren accounted for the other two. The box score won't show staggering numbers as the team average was only three yards per carry, but there was a clear difference between before and after the bye. On top of that, if you take out Pickett's eight rushes for a grand total of zero yards, the average was over four.

It's clear that offensive line coach, Pat Meyer had a mission over the break. The highly-criticized group had a mammoth task of trying to contain one of the best defensive players of all-time in Aaron Donald. He was held in check and only ended up having four tackles and two quarterback hits. Any opposing team would take that any day of the week against him.

The two-headed monster that is made up of Harris and Warren had their way with the Rams defense. The commitment to running the football opened up the passing game late and one could argue that the two ball carriers had the biggest openings orchestrated by the line since Meyer was hired after the 2021 season. If the big men up front can build off the Week 7 performance, the offense may finally start to trend in the right direction.

Pickett tends to bail out of the pocket a bit too early on occasion, but the run blocking after the bye was not the only improvement. The Steelers signal-caller was only sacked twice and had a relatively clean pocket. He was especially free to roam around towards the end of the game. He made several big throws thanks to a well-protected backfield.

Pittsburgh will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 and it will be no easy task. Jacksonville is one of the best defenses against the run in the NFL, only allowing 80.6 yards per game on the ground. There is a hole in their passing defense, however, as the Jaguars are allowing the second most yards per game through the air at 284 per game.

Steelers' Meyer Deserves A Ton Of Credit For Week 7 Win

Pittsburgh's offensive line hasn't exactly been reliable since Meyer took over. The inconsistent nature of the group has led to a harsh amount of criticism. It wasn't perfect against the Rams on Sunday, but a healthy group, even with Dan Moore Jr. in the lineup instead of rookie, Broderick Jones, was one of the more vital parts in a close matchup. If the line continues to improve and build off of a strong bye week, the offense is going to be in a heck of a lot better shape.

Were you impressed with the Steelers offensive line in Week 7? Let us know in the comments below!

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