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The Steelers were in a must-win situation and rough circumstances and bad luck hindered them in the 26-23 loss to Baltimore. This is a hard game to grade, because I thought they played valiantly for the most part.
For some reason, I’ve been given the responsibility to rate the performance of the squad. It’s not easy, but I’ll give it a whirl. Despite my less than prestigious BTSC teaching certificate, I have to issue the necessary disclaimer. You know the story; of course, I’m not a football coach, or a teacher, but I play one in blogs and podcasts. All week, I had certain expectations of this contest, Then the game happened and judgments abound.
Grading games is an extremely difficult and somewhat thankless task. While the coaches’ grades, of course, are what counts the most, the media and fans can’t help but evaluate as well. All letter grades are simply based on the eye test of somebody watching at home. In this case, it’s my doofus opinion.
So let’s take a look at BTSC’s early perceptions:
Offense: C+
Mason Rudolph was solid once again and promising to be a future face of the franchise. However, his severe concussion was devastating, but Devlin Hodges was a bright spot in relief. The running game was not great, the interception by Jaylen Samuels was pathetic and they started the game dull and conservative. The offensive game plan and JuJu Smith-Schuster’s fumble negated a winning effort on defense.
Poll
What grade do you think the offense deserves after losing 26-23 to Baltimore?
This poll is closed
-
0%
A
(7 votes) -
24%
B
(354 votes) -
50%
C
(751 votes) -
20%
D
(298 votes) -
4%
F
(63 votes)
Defense: A-
It’s hard to believe this defense is becoming the strength of the team. But they had five sacks of Lamar Jackson, forced three turnovers and limited Mark Ingram to only 44 yards. Late in the game, they were flying to the ball. Of the two TDs they gave up, one was off of a turnover. The defense did everything to win the contest, but a ridiculous roughing the passer penalty late in the game on Ola Adeniyi and a JuJu fumble in OT lost this game, not the defense.
Poll
What grade do you think the defense earned after the loss to Baltimore?
This poll is closed
-
53%
A
(802 votes) -
37%
B
(565 votes) -
6%
C
(94 votes) -
1%
D
(22 votes) -
1%
F
(18 votes)
Special Teams: B+
Chris Boswell looked good once again and is perfect so far in 2019. Jordan Berry looked good too with a 43.8 average on punts. But the kick/punt coverage was bad. But the return game was absent again, leading Mike Tomlin to be very critical of the unit in the post-game press conference.
Poll
What grade would you agree that the ST unit should see on their report card after Baltimore beat them 26-23?
This poll is closed
-
7%
A
(107 votes) -
30%
B
(413 votes) -
40%
C
(544 votes) -
16%
D
(219 votes) -
4%
F
(65 votes)
Overall: B-
It was a pretty solid performance in a losing effort. This team got hosed on a call and lost their quarterback to an illegal hit. Just couldn’t get it done.
Poll
What overall grade would you give to the Steelers after the Baltimore game?
This poll is closed
-
2%
A
(36 votes) -
44%
B
(603 votes) -
40%
C
(549 votes) -
7%
D
(99 votes) -
4%
F
(58 votes)
Valedictorian: Vince Williams
Honor Roll: Chris Boswell, Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, T.J. Watt, Mike Hilton, Bud Dupree, Devin Bush, Devlin Hodges, Mason Rudolph, Mike Hilton, Artie Burns, Devin Bush, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Kam Kelly
Requires Improvement: JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, Return game
Now it is your turn to play teacher. Use the polls and the comments section below. We can compare notes in the teachers lounge.