The Pittsburgh Steelers' multi-year trench rebuild continues to yield impressive results, yet Sunday's matchup against the New Orleans Saints revealed a stark contrast between dominant run-blocking and ongoing pass-protection growing pains. While interior linemen and rushing schemes bulldozed opponents, tackle play remains an area requiring patience.
During their recent breakdown on the “Locked on Steelers” podcast, host Christopher Carter and guest analyst Alan Saunders examined why tackles Troy Fautanu and Max Iheanachor were charged with multiple sacks.
Discussing the PFF charting data, Carter noted, "It was crazy, they awarded four. They charged the Steelers offensive line Fautanu and Iheanachor each with two sacks. And I was like, but they only allowed three sacks? What could they have done? But it was because the play where there was two guys that had half a sack. Each of them were Iheanachor and Fautanu."
This led to a broader question about whether the team faces an immediate crisis on the edge. Saunders preached calm, emphasizing that context matters when evaluating young players stepping into high-profile roles.
"I think they need to be better, but also I think this is Troy Fautanu's first year playing left tackle in the NFL and this is Max Iheanachor's first year playing in the NFL and I think there's good reason to expect them to continue to get better," Saunders explained.
"Obviously this performance here is not good enough, but I don't see any reason to panic at this point."
While the edge protection struggled against an aggressive pass rush, the coaching staff and analysts agree that the foundation is sound. Fautanu's transition to left tackle and Iheanachor's adjustment to consistent snaps mean the unit will experience weekly fluctuations.
However, the combination of high-end athletic traits and steady developmental progress provides ample reassurance that Pittsburgh's long-term offensive line blueprint remains on schedule.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Inside the pass-blocking struggles of the Steelers' young tackles