Steelers' 2025 Team MVP Should Absolutely Go To Young Offensive Lineman: "He Is Such A Technician"

The Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious in Week 14 over the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 27-22 in a game the Steelers desperately needed to win. Not only do they secure a pivotal win in the AFC North, but they take the lead in the division on top of that, putting themselves in a prime playoff position as the schedule gets into the stretch that will ultimately determine who makes the postseason. The Steelers are now 7-6 and looking ahead to next Monday night when the Miami Dolphins come to town, hoping to continue the strong momentum after defeating the Ravens.

Part of the strong momentum is due in part to Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing arguably his best overall game as a member of the team. Rodgers threw for 284 yards and a touchdown, while not being sacked once the entire game. He also ran one in on the ground for a score. The fact that Rodgers wasn't sacked once against the Ravens shows how well the offensive line played as a whole, and plenty of players on the unit deserve high praise for the level of play they maintained.

One of these players is Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, who has played exceptionally well this season. His strong performances throughout the 2025 campaign earned him praise from Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who recently appeared on 93.7 The Fan to discuss the big win over the Ravens. Fittipaldo was asked about top performers from the game, and he immediately began discussing how Fautanu has become one of the best players for the Steelers.

"There's been a lot of talk this week about 'Who's the Steelers MVP,' no one's having a great year," Fittipaldo said. "And believe me, he's not gonna be named the Steelers MVP because he's an offensive lineman, but Troy Fautanu has been excellent. He's such a technician, he's just been really really good, and I give all those guys credit for keeping Rodgers clean."

Fittipaldo's praise for Fautanu's play against the Ravens is warranted, not just in that game, but across the entire season. Fautanu has started every game this year, and since Week 10, Rodgers has not been sacked more than once in a single game. Fautanu himself was critical of the offense in that Week 10 game, and it seems the entire offensive line has taken his words to heart, keeping Rodgers safe and opening up holes for the running game to take advantage of.

Fautanu's performance not only is something to be optimistic about, as the second-year player becomes more of a pivotal fixture on the offensive line, but is also a great sign that his leadership skills are developing as well. Considering that he was urging the offense to adjust to better protect Rodgers, with the results since then showing that they have, it's clear that Fautanu is becoming a voice of leadership within the locker room. This can only serve to be a positive addition for the Steelers going forward.

Even with how well the offensive line has performed against the competition lately, there's plenty more that can be done to ensure the strong momentum of the previous game against the Ravens can continue, especially on offense to help keep the defense off the field.

Steelers' Strong Offensive Line Performances Should Help The Run Game

Even with how well Fautanu and the rest of the offensive line has played the last few weeks with regards to pass protection, there's still plenty that they can do with regards to run blocking. The Steelers' run game hasn't been the best in the last few weeks, and if there's any additional ways they can improve, this would be the best way. If they can improve in run blocking as well, Fittipaldo's comments about Fautanu being the team's MVP might become more widespread.

What did you think about Fittipaldo's comments regarding Fautanu's high level of play? Let us know in the comments below.

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