Steelers offensive Pro Football Focus grades in Week 11 show no splash performances

The Pittsburgh Steelers exploded for 37 points in Week 11, their most so far in the 2021 season. Unfortunately, the defense surrendered 41 points all on their own as the offense did not turn the ball over and put them in a bad situation. Although the offense did put up a lot of points, the Steelers were down three scores to start the fourth quarter and may have been facing a different defensive philosophy than they typically would. And while the defense was down three of their four Pro Bowlers, the players on the field needed to step up and make a play.

But how did the individual players grade out?

For this exercise, we will be looking at the player grades from Pro Football Focus (PFF) for their Week 11 performance. These scores are just from Sunday’s game and not for the entire season. Before going any further, I must give the typical disclaimer that PFF grades are subjective. While some people rely on them heavily, others are quite skeptical of the process in which they are determined. It is completely up to each person as to how much stock they put into PFF’s grades. For me, I often look at the grades to see if my own “eye test” lines up with what others viewed as how a player performed. If nothing more, the grades create a discussion about how accurate, or inaccurate, they are each week.

Instead of looking at the entire team at once, we break up the scores into offense and defense. Next up this week is the offense. Included will be all the players who played at least one snap and the total snap counts for each player will be included. For reference sake, the Steelers played 69 snaps on offense in Week 11.

Overall

Top 5 (regardless of position)

WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 81.1 (15 snaps)
TE Zach Gentry: 75.9 (15 snaps)
WR Diontae Johnson: 74.5 (63 snaps)
OT Dan Moore Jr.: 71.2 (69 snaps)
FB Derek Watt: 68.5 (2 snaps)

Bottom 5 (regardless of position)

RB Kalen Ballage: 52.7 (9 snaps)
RB Benny Snell Jr.: 51.2 (8 snaps)
G Trai Turner: 49.5 (69 snaps)
WR James Washington: 48.9 (46 snaps)
OT Chuks Okorafor: 46.1 (69 snaps)

Quarterback

QB Ben Roethlisberger: 60.8 (69 snaps)

Despite leading the Steelers offense to 21 more points than the previous week, two more passing touchdowns, and no interceptions, Ben Roethlisberger score checks in at more than 10 points lower than what Mason Rudolph had the previous week. With a score barely above 60.0, Roethlisberger is continuing to get the “average” grade.

Running Backs

FB Derek Watt: 68.5 (2 snaps)
RB Najee Harris: 61.6 (52 snaps)
RB Kalen Ballage: 52.7 (9 snaps)
RB Benny Snell Jr.: 51.2 (8 snaps)

There wasn’t a lot of change in this group from the previous week except for a flip between Snell and Ballage. Derek Watt didn’t have the outstanding score of the previous week, but only two snaps have a tendency to do that. With the three running back‘s giving a combined total of less than 50 yards on 15 carries, it’s hard to argue with their scores being much different than what was given.

Receivers

WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 81.1 (15 snaps)
TE Zach Gentry: 75.9 (15 snaps)
WR Diontae Johnson: 74.5 (63 snaps)
WR Chase Claypool: 65.8 (63 snaps)
TE Pat Freiermuth: 65.4 (39 snaps)
TE Eric Ebron: 64.6 (32 snaps)
WR James Washington: 48.9 (46 snaps)

With all but one of the receivers grades being “above the line” of the 60.0 score, it shows that the Steelers had an effective passing game to get them both back into the game and even take the lead late. Ray-Ray McCloud had his targets cut from 13 down to two but yet saw the best score on the offense.

Offensive Line

OT Dan Moore Jr.: 71.2 (69 snaps)
OT Zach Banner: 60.0 (1 snap)
G Joe Haeg: 57.5 (43 snaps)
C Kendrick Green: 55.1 (69 snaps)
G J.C. Hassenauer: 55.0 (26 snaps)
G Trai Turner: 49.5 (69 snaps)
OT Chuks Okorafor: 46.1 (69 snaps)

After being in the bottom five for a number of weeks, rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. found himself in the top five following Sunday night’s game. Unfortunately, the 60.0 standard set by Zach Banner’s one snap only showed one offensive lineman above that score. Although it’s not always the same player, there seems to always be one or two offensive linemen at the bottom of the list each week.

So, what do you think of the above grades? Do they pass the eye test? Let us know your thoughts on the Steelers’ defensive grades in the comments below.