The Pittsburgh Steelers felt good about making it to the playoffs after a tumultuous midseason stretch of games saw them lose to previously two-win teams in back-to-back weeks. They then dropped a winnable game against the Indianapolis Colts to put their postseason hopes on life support. Pittsburgh rebounded behind a solid running game with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Mason Rudolph made the plays he needed to and the other key was ball security. Rudolph threw no interceptions in wins over the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens to help Pittsburgh weasel their way into a playoff spot.
Jones ascended to the starting lineup for Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle in Week 5. Initially, he served as an injury fill-in, but got a more extended run as a starter on the right side after Chukwuma Okorafor was benched. The Georgia product's insertion into the starting lineup was a big help in the running game that helped Pittsburgh get to the playoffs. He was outwardly confident that the team could do some damage in the postseason. His conviction in those comments was heard by Buffalo Bills veteran defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who took the rookie to task in some of his postgame comments to The Athletic's Tim Graham.
"You got a rookie tackle, talking about how he thinks he can dominate up front," scoffed Oliver. "Ok."
Oliver noted that Jones got beaten badly by Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau on a swim move in the second quarter that led to an 11-yard sack of Rudolph. It was the only sack allowed by the Steelers offensive line in the contest. Despite managing to make a game of it, when Rudolph found Calvin Austin III for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 24-17, Pittsburgh's self-inflicted wounds in the first half were too much to overcome. The Bills scored with just under six and a half minutes left to go to fully put an end to Pittsburgh's 2023 season.
This is certainly not an indictment on Jones' future, but there is still a lesson for the young tackle as he continues his NFL journey. Be prepared to back up what you say. While a lot of people will tell you the greatest of professional athletes shouldn't need motivation to go out and do their jobs, there are lots of stories about how things opponents or media say end up as bulletin board material. In this case, it seems that some of Jones' comments made it to the Buffalo locker room, and Oliver took issue with them.
Jones will turn 23 in May, and it's evident that he still has a fair bit to learn as a professional. There's a difference between being cocky and being confident. Finding that balance is important. He's not afraid of getting vocal on the field toward opponents, which his teammates have had to reel in. He's also got some issues in pass blocking that need to improve, but he is still a young guy.
The Steelers knew when they took him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft that he wasn't a finished product that was necessarily going to be a plug-and-play tackle from the start of his NFL career. He's been eased into starting in the NFL and has shown how important he can be in the running game.
Steelers Gave Away Their Gameplan, And Buffalo Took Advantage
The Steelers traveled to the Snowmageddon of Orchard Park with a plan to run the ball and keep it away from the high-powered Bills offense led by Josh Allen. That was what had worked to get them to the postseason. The Bills knew what Pittsburgh wanted to do and jumped all over it.
The game was delayed due to the crazy winter storm in New York. Rousseau said he'd heard Pittsburgh thought they'd have a better chance had the game not been moved.
"I heard they wanted to play yesterday [Sunday] in the blizzard because they thought they could run the ball. Then we give them even better conditions, and they still can’t run the ball."
Harris struggled all game, finishing with 37 yards on 12 carries with a long of 11. Warren was slightly better, with 38 yards on eight carries. The Bills knew what was coming and did their job to stop it.
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