Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — It was the type of play that deflates a stadium. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’ll be the lasting image of an offensive line that had made progress throughout the season.
Will Anderson Jr.’s strip sack of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the straw that broke the camel’s back in what wound up a 30-6 Wild Card playoff loss. The Houston Texans’ outside linebacker charged around Rodgers’ blindside protector, Dylan Cook, to chop the ball out of his grasp.
Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins plucked it off the ground and thundered 33 yards to pay dirt, stretching his side’s lead to 11 points.
“Kenny did his exact job, blocked the chip. I’ve just gotta be better,” Cook said. “I’ve gotta play better. Gotta throw my hands up. Probably the one time I didn’t throw my hands. Tried to run him around the hoop, and you saw the outcome.”
For a line that had done a pretty good job of keeping Aaron Rodgers upright as of late, it wasn’t something the group wanted to allow. Cook was the team’s fourth-string left tackle, thrust into action after Broderick Jones, Andrus Peat and Calvin Anderson were injured.
“It was certainly a step back,” Tomlin said of the offensive line’s efforts on Monday night. “I respect, obviously, their front and their capabilities and so forth, but we certainly didn’t play to our desires today. It wasn’t like they were pressuring a lot. They weren’t. That’s not the style of their four-man rush group. But it certainly was significant.”
“(It’s) crucial. We can’t let that happen,” Cook said. “You see by the outcome, pretty hard to come back from, but we always have a next-play mentality. We’ve had that all year. We’ve done a pretty good job of bouncing back, but it’s tough. Tough hole to come out of.”
Despite the setback, Rodgers believes the Steelers are set up for future success up front.
“You’ve got three — center, right guard, right tackle,” Rodgers said, referring to Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick and Troy Fautanu, respectively. “As long as Isaac (Seumalo) wants to play, he plays at a high level. Obviously, Broderick got hurt and gave an opportunity for Dylan, who obviously showed he can play in the NFL.”
All eyes, however, will be on Rodgers and whether he decides to trust in the line to keep him clean for one more year.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Did Loss to Texans Reveal Cracks in Steelers OL’s Foundation?
