Chris Wormley leads the Steelers defensive Pro Football Focus grades

The Pittsburgh Steelers came up short in extending their win streak as they fell to the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. The offense put up two touchdowns, but they had thee more possessions inside their opponents 25-yard line that did not yield any points. As for the defense, they were vulnerable against the run to a whole new level in 2022 and could not get the necessary stop when it mattered most.

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 the Steelers Week 14 performance. Remember, these are just the grades for the Steelers for this past game and not combined with their previous performances. 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 is the defense. Included will be all the players who played at least one defensive snap and the total snap counts for each player will be included. For reference sake, the Steelers played 61 snaps on defense in Sunday’s game.

Overall

Top 5 (regardless of position)

DT Chris Wormley: 90.7 (22 snaps)
CB Cam Sutton: 80.5 (61 snaps)
CB Levi Wallace: 76.5 (58 snaps)
S Minkah Fitzpatrick: 74.1 (61 snaps)
OLB T.J. Watt: 73.8 (54 snaps)

Bottom 5 (regardless of position)

DT Isaiahh Loudermilk: 44.0 (6 snaps)
DT Tyson Alualu: 42.2 (20 snaps)
ILB Devin Bush: 31.1 (51 snaps)
DT Montravius Adams: 30.2 (23 snaps)
DT DeMarvin Leal: 29.3 (9 snaps)

Defensive Front Five

DT Chris Wormley: 90.7 (22 snaps)
OLB T.J. Watt: 73.8 (54 snaps)
DT Cam Heyward: 68.7 (54 snaps)
OLB Jamir Jones: 62.3 (10 snaps)
DT Larry Ogunjobi: 61.3 (38 snaps)
OLB Alex Highsmith: 55.3 (56 snaps)
DT Isaiahh Loudermilk: 44.0 (6 snaps)
DT Tyson Alualu: 42.2 (20 snaps)
DT Montravius Adams: 30.2 (23 snaps)
DT DeMarvin Leal: 29.3 (9 snaps)

In watching the game, I thought Chris Wormley was once again doing a nice job against his former team. In fact, he had his highest score that he’s ever had as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers which also included an 88.7 run defense score. Unfortunately, he was not available to play in the fourth quarter when the Steelers needed to stop the run the most and now Wormley is having surgery on his injured knee and is assumed to be done for the year. But when it comes to this position group, it’s more about the scores coming out at the bottom of the list. Alex Highsmith had his lowest overall score of the season thanks in part to a 47.4 run defense score, also his season low. And what looks worst of all is the players who would typically be asked to plug the very middle of the defense being at the bottom mainly based on their poor run defense scores.

Inside Linebackers

ILB Robert Spillane: 68.0 (35 snaps)
ILB Myles Jack: 64.4 (34 snaps)
ILB Devin Bush: 31.1 (51 snaps)

Robert Spillane once again comes through with the top score for the inside linebackers but not at the same level it was previously. His 76.4 coverage score is encouraging as the only reception he was credited with surrendering went for zero yards. Devin Bush was way down the list with his worst overall score of the season. Despite playing the most snaps, Bush had a 41.4 run defense score and a 40.4 coverage score. As what is usually the case, he had one of the higher tackling scores on the defense. But this week, Myles Jack had an even better tackling score of an 80.4 and also had a better coverage score than Spillane of 78.7. It was his 51.9 run defense score that brought him down.

Defensive Backs

CB Cam Sutton: 80.5 (61 snaps)
CB Levi Wallace: 76.5 (58 snaps)
S Minkah Fitzpatrick: 74.1 (61 snaps)
S Damontae Kazee: 73.3 (36 snaps)
CB Arthur Maulet: 63.4 (1 snap)
S Terrell Edmunds: 50.2 (61 snaps)
CB James Pierre: 49.6 (10 snaps)

The secondary held four of the top six spots this week and saw only two players below the 60.0 standard. Arthur Maulet only played one snap but was able to bring his score up 3.4 points from the average which usually does not see that much deviation, but when a player only plays one snap and gets a tackle that generally helps. Cam Sutton had the second-highest coverage score only behind Myles Jack with a 78.1 as well as a run defense score of 76.3. It was Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s run defense of 77.6 and 86.2 tackling score that put him in the top five. But when a team rushes the ball for more than twice as many yards than they throw it, good scores in the secondary are almost assumed.

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.