49ers' Justin Skule proves capable in his starting debut at left tackle

Rookie offensive tackle Justin Skule made his starting debut in yesterday's 24-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. To much of a surprise, Skule had a solid game considering it was his first start against a talented pass rush group.

When starting left tackle Joe Staley was ruled out for the next six to eight weeks with a broken fibula, the thought process for most people was the offensive line was going to drop off significantly. That was because sixth round draft pick Justin Skule was replacing Staley. To have a rookie in as opposed to an elite veteran makes it seem obvious that the dominant performance of the offensive line would decline.

Well in yesterdays 24-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers the San Francisco 49ers offensive line didn't drop off too much. Justin Skule actually proved to be a capable starting left tackle for the 49ers. Now I'm not saying he is a great player by any means, but he did do a solid enough job that the offense didn't skip a beat. I would even argue that Mike McGlinchey had the most trouble between the two.

In fact, the 49ers should have had a handful of more points scored had it not been for their three redzone turnovers. As the game started to reach it's end, Skule did get flagged a few times, but other than that he had a clean enough game. It's always a great sign as an offensive lineman when you're not being mentioned. It means that you're doing your job and not causing mistakes.

There were times Bud Dupree was giving him fits, but it easily could have been a lot worse, especially since Skule was on an island most of the game. That was one of the most intriguing parts about yesterday's game for the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan did not give Skule a lot of help and he fared well.

He definitely proved himself a bit against the Steelers, but his campaign is still not over. Skule is more than likely going to be the starter for at least the next five games. Luckily for him, the bye week has begun so he can reflect on his game and continue to improve. If Skule is able to maintain his solid play, then the 49ers are in a great position to hold off Staley until he is completely healthy.

The last thing the 49ers want to do is to rush Staley back because Skule isn't getting the job done. But at least for Kyle Shanahan, he knows Skule is a tough player. He proved that he is capable to handle his assignment by himself without any support. That doesn't mean he won't need it the rest of the way, but it's just a good sign that the 49ers can continue to perform at a high level on offense.