Being that cruel and unusual punishment is against the law, Pittsburgh fans must be asking why their favorite team treats them so badly. The Steelers were once again inconsistent and came frighteningly close to blowing a second consecutive game against a lowly opponent in Nashville on Monday night. They emerged with a 27-24 victory, even though they still have unanswered questions to address.
Here’s a look at how each positional unit graded out Monday night.
Quarterback: B-
Early in the first half, it seemed like Ben Roethlisberger was back in peak form coming off a bad game against the Jets. But one particular sack which showcased his propensity to try to do too much, and a terrible interception near the end of the first half, were uneasy reminders of just how ineffective Roethlisberger can be when he’s off his game.
In the second half, Roethlisbeger settled in and finished without another sack or interception. Still, his perormance could have been better, and his crisp start and finish don’t overshadow a middle in which he nearly cost his team the game.
Roethlisberger finished with mediocre numbers, completing 21 of 32 passes for 207 yards (1 TD, 1 INT).
Running backs: A+
The running game seemed to open up more in the first half for a Pittsburgh tandem that has been remarkably quiet after a fast start. Le’Veon Bell and (now released) LeGarrette Blount have not found the running room in recent weeks that allowed them to become one of the better one-two punches at the beginning of the year. Bell looked to be back to his old self behind an offensive line that blocked well in front of him.
With 204 yards on the ground, Bell anchored the team’s attack, particularly in the second half. His 6.2 yards per carry average is evidence of his elusiveness and his knack for turning every carry into positive yardage. If Bell and his offensive line can get on the same page and stay there, fans are in for a real treat.
Wide receivers/tight ends: B
Antonio Brown cannot be stopped. It’s that simple. Last week, he stopped himself with mental mistakes. This week, he cleaned up his game and was on the same page as his quarterback once again. He extended his record to 27 games with five or more catches.
Behind Brown, the receiver depth chart is no less clear than it was breaking camp in September. Martavis Bryant continues to make a name for himself, but he could’ve been more physical and used his size more to his advantage in this game. His lack of aggressive, physical play is hurting him. Markus Wheaton is quietly slipping behind Bryant as he is still very raw and has a lot of room for improvement. It is hard to evaluate him without targets, but he doesn’t show good straight-line speed and his routes still don’t look crisp.
Heath Miller had a throwback game and was a huge part of the plan on offense after an unusually quiet season. Part of that is due to Miller being asked to block more often, and part of it is just a general shift toward Antonio Brown as the focal point of the passing game. Still, Miller showed tonight that he can be an important piece when called upon.
Offensive line: B-
Tennessee gave Pittsburgh’s offensive line all it could handle in the form of constant pressure. Pittsburgh’s line did everything possible to contain and slow the rush, and frequently gave Roethlisberger time to throw. That said, the line still has problems on the right side with tackle Marcus Gilbert, who has not earned his contract extension this season. The line seemed to wither as the game went on, surrendering a total of 5 sacks, but recovered to keep Roethlisberger clean for most of the second half.
The run-blocking continues to be a work in progress, although it was more successful than last week. The running game has slowed after a ridiculous start by Bell and Blount in part due to some growing pains up front. Those appeared to be solved on Monday night. For this week, the run blocking was their best aspect and they helped Bell during one of the best games of his career thus far.
Defensive front (linemen/linebackers): C
The job of the front seven on passing downs is to get to the quarterback. Facing a rookie, you’d expect defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to make things uncomfortable for Zach Mettenberger. That didn’t happen. The Steelers defense didn’t do enough to overcome the Titans’ budding offensive line and couldn’t consistently pressure the quarterback into big mistakes. They also failed to record a sack. The lack of pressure led to some of the Titans’ big plays. With a secondary that struggles to do even basic things correctly, the front must pick up the slack and prevent quarterbacks from testing the secondary.
Against the run, Pittsburgh wasn’t terrible up front but was not able to slow down opposing backs before they gained solid yardage. The run defense is suffering from the loss of Ryan Shazier. His speed and range create all kinds of problems in the middle that just aren’t there with Sean Spence in his spot.
Defensive backs: D-
William Gay’s interception return for a touchdown, the 100th such play in team history, was a nice start to what would turn into a lackluster performance. Gay has done a serviceable job playing out of his depth as a starter. He’s most comfortable in the nickel role and it shows when he’s targeted. Burned by former Steeler Nate Washington on a deep touchdown pass just before the half, Gay symbolizes the morass that is the Steelers secondary.
Mike Mitchell’s free agent contract should have Kevin Colbert hiding under his desk. Mitchell is a big hitter but is terrible in virtually every other aspect. He can’t cover, he makes poor reads and he doesn’t close in the open field. The absence of Troy Polamalu has really exposed his deficiencies.
If the Steelers do not address this position in the draft in a big way, Kevin Colbert and whoever else is in charge of evaluating players should lose their jobs. Their failure to do anything beyond failed deals for Mitchell and Cortez Allen has put Pittsburgh in an awful spot. You can only blame players so much if they are not put in a position to succeed.
Specialists: A
Shaun Suisham made both of his field goal attempts a week after missing badly from short range in a tight game. In another tight game on Monday night, those six points proved to be decisive. Suisham has continued to carve out a name for himself after being a relative unknown when he replaced Jeff Reed.
Brad Wing had a solid night punting. He only had to punt twice and his numbers weren’t great, but he kicked the team out of trouble both times. He will improve over time as he gets more opportunities.
Coaching: C+
The big question coming into this game was whether Mike Tomlin could coach this team to take a lesser opponent seriously. Pittsburgh’s biggest Achilles’ heel has always been playing down to the level of struggling teams. For one night, Tomlin may have quieted some of the critics, but the fact that Pittsburgh only won by three points against a team that was 2-7 coming in is unsettling. And it leaves a lot of questions about the state of the team on a week to week basis.
Todd Haley’s playcalling in the second half was solid and his first half calls were also nothing to be upset about, outside of when the team was in the red zone. When in deep, the Steelers either have to learn to run better or mix up the play calls. They simply aren’t very dangerous there on a consistent basis.
Dick LeBeau had a bad night and couldn’t find the right mix to get Mettenberger off his game. This is the kind of game that leaves many fans asking when he will hang it up rather than if he’ll stay forever. Injuries are certainly a factor, but that cannot be the entire story behind the underperforming defensive unit.
