The Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious in Week 12 when they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 at Paul Brown Stadium. The win wasn’t pretty, but it was a win and that is the most important thing.
However, when an organization like Pro Football Focus (PFF) dives into the film, they are looking at individual performances from the game that was. In other words, they don’t care if you win or lose, they are looking for the quality of play from each and every player.
They release weekly grades, and after the win over the Bengals the Steelers had some high marks, especially on defense.
Take a look at the grades, per PFF’s verified Twitter account:
Defense
Cam Heyward has been high-level all season! pic.twitter.com/xTh3cn7PPq
— PFF (@PFF) November 26, 2019
It was good to see Cameron Heyward top the list, considering how he has elevated his play since Stephon Tuitt was injured for the remainder of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Other than Heyward, there weren’t many surprises when it comes to the grades. Of course T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Javon Hargrave played well...they literally jumped off the tape on the defensive side of the ball.
Now the offense was another story...
Offense
James Washington generated the top grade among the #Steelers offense in Week 12 pic.twitter.com/UKF5ix6rfy
— PFF (@PFF) November 26, 2019
Whether you agree with PFF’s grades or not, any grade over 90 is considered elite. Heyward’s 92.9 is an extremely high grade for any player regardless of position. With that said, you can see how mediocre the Steelers’ offense was as James Washington’s 78.6 was the highest grade for the unit.
Other than Washington, Alejandro Villanueva, Benny Snell, Diontae Johnson and Matt Feiler all topped the grade chart for the black-and-gold in Week 12.
There are many who disregard PFF’s grades and disagree with their grading methods. However, you can’t argue the amount of film the organization watches and breaks down to give these individual grades.
Do you agree with the aforementioned grades? Or do you think some players should have been rated higher? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes as the Steelers turn the page from the Bengals game and prepare for the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.