Steelers @ Houston: The aftermath

No group has emotional swings like those of us who cheer for the Steelers; and at the rate the team is going we may all be at our wits ends before the bye week.

We were looking through sundry item, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's weekly "Steelers Report Card," always done very capably by Gerry Dulac, is a postgame must.  This week Mr. Dulac gives the offensive line an "F" ~ no surprise there ~ and in doing so states that "[c]ritics of LT Jonathan Scott might want to see him back in the lineup after this; Trai Essex gave up at least two sacks as the Texans kept bringing pressure from the left side. OLB Mario Williams had two of the five sacks, including one against RT Marcus Gilbert."

The only issue we take with this assessment is that, by focusing on the two backups who started yesterday, it fails to call into account the miserable performances by the starters who did start.  Yes, the offensive line is a until, and missing two starters was bound to have a negative impact.  But Chris Kemoeatu was beaten badly for three out of four quarters; and the unnecessary roughness call against Maurkice Pouncy, coming at the end of a 14-yard run that put the Steelers' offense at the Houston six yard line with just over a minute to play in the first half, effectively killed what had the looks of a touchdown drive.

As Mr. Dulac undoubtedly knows, the problem with the Steelers' offensive line runs much deeper than some underperforming backups;  and is a problem that may take multiple seasons to truly address.