The Pittsburgh Steelers won their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 without ever getting into the end zone.
Pittsburgh's offense's first performance was concerning, but NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger believes there was one bright spot.
"After watching this Steelers offense in this performance against Atlanta, it became pretty apparent that the only fun part of the whole offense is watching Zach Frazier play and just how he plays," Baldinger said. "This is the fun part of this offense. The other stuff is just dreadful."
The Steelers selected Frazier in the second round (No. 51) of the 2024 NFL Draft in hopes of making him their next franchise center — something they've been searching for since Maurkice Pouncey retired following the 2020 season.
The rookie showed he could be just that on Sunday, allowing zero pressures, hits, hurries and sacks in 29 pass pro snaps.
Baldinger is even more impressed with Frazier's ability to create holes in the running game.
"I just started counting the takedowns, the knockdowns, the pancakes. It was one after another. Like this is fun. Finally, the offense became interesting to watch," Baldinger added. "One after another. Count them. It never stops. Like all the way to the end of this game, it doesn't stop."
Of course, it is a small sample size for Frazier, who has a long season ahead, but his regular-season debut was very promising for the future of Pittsburgh's offensive line.
Baldinger noted that he thinks former Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster "would be proud of Zach's debut."
"Zach Frazier, this is fun," Baldinger concluded. "This was the only thing I enjoyed watching the whole day in this offense. Like just watching Zach Frazier go about his business."
The Steelers travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in Week 2. Frazier will have to go up against defensive linemen D.J. Jones, Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers, who combined for seven tackles (two for a loss) and two QB hits last week, as he continues to make his case as Pittsburgh's next great center.
