The Steelers handled the Browns in Week 14 and grew their division lead with the Ravens on bye. But now the toughest stretch of the schedule remains.

This week we predict how the Steelers will do during the final stretch of the season, evaluate the state of the offensive line. Plus, how will the Steelers weather a George Pickens injury?

Are Broderick Jones and the offensive line fixed?

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

RB: “Fixed” sounds a bit too definitive for me, but “trending in the right direction”? I can confidently get behind that take.

The Pittsburgh offensive line’s performance against the Browns wasn’t perfect, but it was inspiring to see the positive development of a group that, with the exception of Isaac Seumalo, lacks past consistency and experience.

With only one sack allowed, there were a lot of good plays on tape against Cleveland from the Steelers O-line. That’s especially true for right tackle Broderick Jones, a player I was fairly bearish on earlier this season. Recently, he’s been proving me very wrong.

But before we dive into the plays, there’s an important caveat to add, one that’s true for every team in football but the Steelers especially: The O-line having a good game takes a lot more than just the five linemen playing well. It’s not just the quarterback having good awareness and the running backs finding holes, either — Pittsburgh’s philosophy and condensed, heavy formations have every offensive player operating as an honorary O-lineman at some point.

Tight end Darnell Washington is essentially an offensive tackle who catches the occasional pass. Wide receiver Van Jefferson, as much as I want some of his playing time to go to Mike Williams, has stepped up as a blocker this year, as has the versatile Ben Skowronek.

The running backs are key in the pass-blocking game as well. Jaylen Warren has especially stood out throughout this year and his career as a whole, giving us plays like this one from Sunday:

Block Myles Garrett up the arc one-on-one and then be a lead blocker? No problem, coach! You gotta love this guy.

The reason why I’m focusing on the run game here is because everyone on the Steelers’ offense is buying into that identity. It’s been a big part of their improvement under Arthur Smith. It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach that can’t be evaluated by looking at one position group in a vacuum.

Just check out the play below: It’s nothing revolutionary, but the Steelers score because they’re the more physical team. Broderick Jones clears the lane. Mason McCormick loses the leverage battle (it’s been a problem) but toughs it out and ends up blocking two players. Connor Heyward sells out to stop the edge defender. Najee Harris powers in for the score.

Or check out this play where the young right half of the Steelers’ O-line collapses the Cleveland front to open up a run. As for the identity stuff: Pat Freiermuth has never been known as a plus blocker at the NFL level, but here he is fiercely leading the way for Harris.

Now healthy, Broderick Jones is a certified people-mover up front. His size and power are a dangerous combination, and playing next to a 315-pound Energizer Bunny like Mason McCormick only helps. The Steelers have a number of young, fairly high-pedigree draft picks up front, and their athleticism stood out against Cleveland.

Focus on Zach Frazier and Jones in space, but everyone here does a great job:

Don’t forget Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek earning extra yards as downfield blockers, as well.

One quick addendum is that the Browns’ front seven was fairly banged up on Sunday. Even then, the Steelers only managed 120 rushing yards with an uninspiring 3.4 yards per rush. We’re not talking about a generational ground attack here.

However, the culture is there in Pittsburgh, and this young offense has a lot of exciting talent and want-to. In Broderick Jones’ case, we’re seeing his physical tools shine and he’s starting to look like the force of nature in the run game the Steelers drafted him to be.

The offensive line hasn’t completely “clicked” yet, and with this group I expect to see some more ups and downs. But the foundation for success is clearly there after years of uncertainty up front for Pittsburgh. Arthur Smith, as well as the much-maligned Pat Meyer, have the group trending upwards.

I’ve described the Steelers’ offensive line as a bunch of maulers, but there have been plenty of examples of good coaching as well. I told Ryan I’d stick to the run game in my blurb so as not to go too long, but I’ll cheat and add one pass play here to complete the point. On this screen to Freiermuth, you can see Jones and Frazier once again in space, but only taking off after the ball is thrown to avoid a penalty. That’s the type of smart play you want to see from a young offensive line. There’s a lot to be optimistic about.

RP: Bickley is right about the line still being a work in progress. Progress isn’t always linear and there are still some warts in the Steelers' execution. Bickley focused on the running game, so I’ll hone in on Jones with some pass pro reps. I’m still not seeing Jones with the same punch as he had last year, but he’s not losing as nearly as many reps as did early in the year. Here are some reps where I thought Jones was able to win when left one-on-one.

But that isn’t to say it was all roses for Jones.

Overall the Steelers are playing well enough to win. Jones and Moore will occasionally have a bad rep on the outside, but the Steelers can counter this by booting Wilson more and moving the pocket. Jones is far from polished but, like Bickley pointed out, he’s trending in the right direction. There were people ready to give up on him early in the season, and I’ll kindly remind everyone that young players should be allowed time to develop. Broderick Jones is only 23 and his best football is still ahead of him.

Is the Steelers’ offense in trouble if George Pickens misses an extended period of time?

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

RP: Yes, and we’ll get to see it tested again this week. Pickens has already been ruled doubtful for this week’s game against the Eagles. Beating the Browns is one thing. Beating the Eagles — a team with a strong chance to win the NFC — would speak volumes about this team’s resiliency and adaptability.

The run game may be the backbone of the Steelers’ offense, but Pickens is the sparkplug. With him off the field, defenses can creep up and condense. Pickens’ talent creates gravity against a defense. The more defenses commit to taking him out of the game, the more opportunities present themselves in other areas of the field for the Steelers to take advantage of.

Calvin Austin and Scott Miller are fast, but they aren’t as physical as Pickens. If defenses don’t fear them on the deep ball — and teams like the Ravens and Chiefs have physical secondaries who will not fear them — that allows the defense to shrink the field and take away more of the quick-hitting underneath routes.

One solution could be more of Mike Williams. Williams isn’t a speed demon, but he has made a career of winning contested balls downfield. Williams has flashed whenever the Steelers have thrown his way, but that hasn’t come often since acquiring him at the trade deadline. Tomlin has hinted at a bigger role for Williams, and that would be significant in bolstering the offense if Pickens continues to be sidelined.

If teams don’t respect the pass — and the Steelers don’t force them to without Pickens — that will impact the running game too. It’s hard to make a living converting third-and-longs in the NFL. If teams are able to sell out to stop the run and the Steelers can’t make a splash play without Pickens, then you bet they’re in trouble.

They showed they can do it against a team like the Browns. This week against the Eagles, we’ll see how real this team is.

RB: Yes, but it might not be as bad as we previously thought. On Sunday, we saw that the Steelers can still beat bad teams sans Pickens. And if there’s any coach in the NFL I trust to win a dumb game with zero offensive output, it’s Mike Tomlin. Missing George Pickens would be a major blow, but as long as he’s back for the playoffs, I’m not overly concerned about the Steelers this season.

Pittsburgh’s passing attack looked helpless early on Sunday following Pickens’ surprise absence, with miscommunications and Russell Wilson throwing unsuccessful go balls to players who decidedly lack Pickens’ skillset and size (Scotty Miller did haul one in though — credit where it’s due).

Arthur Smith eventually dialed in the gameplan and the Steelers went on to nearly score 30 points without their best offensive player. Pickens is a contested catch specialist — the guy who can record a big play even on a bad day for the offense. But when Russell Wilson is playing like this on third and long, you can get by with a less dynamic group of receivers:

Wilson playing well is the real key to the Steelers surviving without Pickens, even if it's far from the only factor. There’s no denying that the Steelers’ passing offense runs through Pickens; Pittsburgh has good football players elsewhere in the receiver room, but no one comes close to being the do-it-all superstar Pickens is.

But if Wilson can stay sharp, I think there’s a chance the Steelers can Moneyball their way into some offensive success without Pickens. Stick Calvin Austin III and Mike Williams in a trench coat and create No. 14 in the aggregate. Austin has game-breaking speed. Williams doesn’t, but he has a similar ability to Pickens when it comes to tilting 50/50 balls in his favor. He just needs more snaps, he’s earned them!

Back in November, I wrote that Williams may not ever develop into the Steelers’ WR2, but he could still help them win the trade by becoming a Pickens insurance policy. That could come to fruition late this season.

Throw in Pat Freiermuth’s recent hot streak and the Steelers running back’s pass-catching savvy, and you have something that can work with a quarterback who’s been distributing the ball as well as Wilson.

Steelers to catch a pass the last 2 weeks:

WR George Pickens
WR Calvin Austin
WR Van Jefferson
WR Ben Skowronek
WR Mike Williams
WR Scotty Miller
TE Pat Freiermuth
TE Darnell Washington
TE MyCole Pruitt
RB Najee Harris
RB Jaylen Warren
RB Cordarralle Patterson

That's 12 of 'em.

— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) December 8, 2024

Earlier this season, a Pickens injury would’ve been cause for panic. In Week 15, it’s still a major problem, but the Steelers' offense has developed enough to make survival possible. Still, I think winning a Week 13-esque shootout again without him will be near-impossible.

The stretch of schedule we’ve talked about all year is here. The Steelers play the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs all in a 10-day span, and then a yet-to-be-scheduled Bengals game to close the season. What’s your record prediction for the final home stretch?

RB: Picking the Steelers to go 3-1 or 4-0 against such a tough group feels overly optimistic, especially with the lack of rest; picking them to have a losing record after Mike Tomlin has repeatedly silenced doubters this season feels even more unwise. The safe, boring answer? 2-2.

At a glance, I’m expecting losses against the Eagles and Chiefs and wins in the Steelers’ remaining AFC North games. But I wouldn’t be surprised by another combination.

Here’s an abbreviated look at my reasoning: Pittsburgh always loses in Philadelphia, and the Saquon Barkley/A.J. Brown/Devonta Smith combination will be hard to outscore without George Pickens. Against Baltimore, the Steelers match up well against the Ravens and will be locked in with a chance to win the AFC North, making it a winnable game on the road. The Chiefs are beatable, but they’re also the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs — ’nuff said. Finally, the Steelers are a much more complete team than Cincinnati and should be able to complete the sweep.

Losing two out of the next four games seems harsh, but in this scenario, the Steelers finish 12-5 with the AFC North crown. Not bad at all.

RP: My brain, like Ryland, is telling me 2-2. But I don’t know, man. This team FEELS different. Russ is reminding me of that Kurt Warner Cardinals team that went on an improbable run to meet the Steelers in the Super Bowl. This defense has been championship quality without the offense to match in recent years. The way Russ has been playing changes that.

The odds may be against the Steelers, but the 2024 team seems to relish in that notion. I think the Steelers find a way to go 3-1. They’ll win against either the Eagles or Ravens — but not both — sweep the Bengals and shock the world on Christmas and beat the Chiefs.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Thoughts on the improving O-line? Are the Steelers in trouble without Pickens? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section, on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or via email at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com.