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The Steelers blew their “control your own destiny” status the past couple of weeks. They needed help from the Chargers to beat the Chiefs to give Houston something to play for. That didn’t happen. They needed help from Houston to beat Tennessee. But most of all, they needed help from themselves against a self-depleted Baltimore team. You know what happened there.
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 feeble opinion.
So let’s take a look at BTSC’s early perceptions:
Offense: F
Devlin Hodges wasn’t as horrible as he has been recently, but he was just his recent awful. 9 of 23 for a mere 95 yards is really bad. A better quarterback would have won the last two weeks. But it’s not his fault. He’s not an NFL-caliber quarterback after teams get tape on him. The receivers dropped some opportunities. The running game with Benny Snell wasn’t too bad. No. 24 had 91 yards and a TD. But still not enough. The O-line had some flashes, but were pretty bad for the most part.
Poll
How would you rate the Steelers offense after their dismal performance against the Ravens?
This poll is closed
-
0%
A
(11 votes) -
0%
B
(1 vote) -
0%
C
(8 votes) -
13%
D
(193 votes) -
84%
F
(1191 votes)
Defense: C
This was their worst game against the rush all season, surrendering 223 yards on the ground. RG3 didn’t torch them, but didn’t really need to. They held him to 96 yards and got a garbage pick on an unnecessary play call. The Steelers forced some turnovers and did everything to keep them in the game by only giving up one TD and four field goals.
Poll
What grade would you assign the Steelers’ defense after the loss to Baltimore?
This poll is closed
-
1%
A
(17 votes) -
16%
B
(223 votes) -
32%
C
(437 votes) -
37%
D
(509 votes) -
12%
F
(171 votes)
Special Teams: C+
Chris Boswell was his solid self. But he only had one field goal opportunity. Johnny Holton and Robert Spillane had quality plays on ST as well. I thought Jordan Berry was pretty good by dropping two of his five punts inside-the-20. He hit a 54-yarder and averaged 48.8. But the mishandling of a suspect snap led to a Ravens TD. Kam Canaday was liable for that gaffe as well.
Poll
What letter grade is most appropriate to give to the Special Teams Unit after the 28-10 loss to BMore?
This poll is closed
-
0%
A
(12 votes) -
8%
B
(102 votes) -
33%
C
(403 votes) -
38%
D
(463 votes) -
19%
F
(233 votes)
Overall: D
This was a winnable game and they could not find a way to do anything different on offense. Even with the defensive struggles, it was still winnable. They had the heart, but still let themselves get embarrassed.
Poll
What overall grade did the Steelers earn in the Week 17 loss to the Ratbirds?
This poll is closed
-
0%
A
(12 votes) -
0%
B
(4 votes) -
1%
C
(24 votes) -
37%
D
(485 votes) -
59%
F
(778 votes)
Valedictorian: None
Honor Roll: T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Diontae Johnson, Benny Snell Jr.
Requires Improvement: The Offensive Line, Devlin Hodges, James Washington, Terrell Edmunds, JuJu Smith-Schuster
Now it is your turn to play teacher. Use the polls and the comments section below. We can compare notes in the teachers lounge.