Jets 22 Steelers 17. Matt Aaron hands out the grades.
This past Sunday, Steelers and Jets fans were treated to a holiday classic in flurry filled Heinz Field. It appeared that Ben Roethlisberger was well on his way to orchestrating his 24th game winning drive, but fell 10 yards short. Jets won their first ever game in the state of Pennsylvania
Ben Roethlisberger: C+
Frankly, he came up short. With that being said, in Ben Roethlisberger fashion, he gave his team a chance to win. Statistically, he only had a 78.2 passer rating, but that does not tell the whole story. He methodically led the offense down the field at the end of the first half for a successful field goal which was a gigantic 3 points heading into the locker room. He also maneuvered in the pocket beautifully throughout the game and it’s pleasant to hear all the naysayers keep quiet in terms of him holding onto the ball too long. 11-17 of 3rd downs is exceptionally impressive when most of those conversions were 8 yards or more.
A common theme the last few weeks is Big Ben missing Wallace on streak routes. Twice in the first half, #17 was open down the sideline and the timing is still not there. These plays potentially can put 6 on the board. If or when Ben and Wallace get on the same page again, with the deep route, this offense goes from struggling to put points on the board to being one of the best in the AFC. Yes, it will be that dramatic of a change.
The C+ grade also has a lot to do with the expectations of Roethlisberger. At this point of his career, it is almost expected that he finds a way to win no matter what.
Running Backs: B+
Rashard Mendenhall
The running game as whole averaged 5.9 yards per carry, led by Rashard who himself averaged 5.9 on 17 carries. The best part of his game was his ability to run through the tackles and also use his incredible patience to bounce it outside. He is the first running back to eclipse 100 yards on the Jets defense in 20 games. Mendenhall found paydirt as well on a rough and tough run from 2 yards out in the 3rd. The only negative to his game is the fact that he had minimal touches. Specifically in the first half, 8 carries is not enough. Coach Tomlin and company might be looking at the big picture and are attempting to limit his carries until the playoffs. If that is the case, 17 carries is plenty, even in a loss.
Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman
What does Redman have to do to get a few more touches? He has 2 rushing attempts the last 2 weeks, against the Jets; his lone carry went for 7 notable yards. He continues to excel in the blocking scheme and not only does what he is told, but does it well. Give this boulder of a man the rock.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B-
Mike Wallace is also to blame for the lack of consistency on the deep ball. It appeared that Cromartie held Wallace on two deep balls, but honestly that does not matter. Wallace, being very Randy Moss like, gave up on both of those deep balls and immediately was looking for a flag. Play until the whistle or you will find yourself on the sideline playing cards with Randle El. He did have 7 catches on 10 looks (impressive 70% completion rate) and his overall route running continues to improve. He is currently the best wide receiver on this team, but it would be nice for him to play like he wants to be the best wide receiver in the game. His mindboggling speed is still ridiculous (You would think Cromartie would be faster chasing all those kids around).
This just in, Emmanual Sanders has hands. He pulled down a 29 yard catch on 3rd and 24. He worked the sideline brilliantly and had a few catches over the middle. There were two noticeable plays on the final drive in which Darrell Revis was one on one with Sanders. If that does not tell you something, than I do not know what will. A career high 7 catches is also a very nice sight.
Speaking of Revis, Hines Ward found himself on that island for much of the game. It’s not as fun as it sounds. What was most surprising is that Roethlisberger did not look or find Ward on the final drive, specifically the redzone throws.
Matt Speath certainly had a rollercoaster of a game. He dropped two passes early (still a common topic with this core), but then made a tremendous block in the backfield that enabled Roethlisberger to find Sanders along the sideline. He showed nice concentration on his touchdown reception. He also had an opportunity to catch the game winning touchdown pass…twice. Either one would have been a remarkable catch, but the opening was there. Lastly, why does it take Heath Miller to be injured for this offense to target the tight end position a total of 9 times? It simply does not make sense.
Offensive Line: C
Mendenhall had plenty of holes to choose from, that was the good news. Roethlisberger sacked three times and avoided many more disastrous plays by moving in the pocket was not. Flozel the Hotel committed, well a Flozel type personal foul, but he also missed a blitzing Jet late in the game on a 4 man rush. Also, did Jonathon Scott actually get hurt on that safety or did he just rupture his ego when Jason Taylor blew past him? The offensive line did not cost the Steelers the game, but the question will continue to flutter on whether this collage of a line will be able to hold up.
Defensive Line: D
The defensive line was pushed backwards and were flat out were muscled around. Ziggy Hood is improving, no doubt, but he D’brickashaw Ferguson had his way with him. Brett Keisel batted two of Sanchez’s passes to the grass, including one late in the game. The negative to that, is that Keisel could not get any penetration off the right side. The linebackers feed off the defensive line eating up offensive lineman and it did not happen. Tomlinson and Greene consistently fell forward as well, which is un-Steeler like.
Linebackers: D+
The Jets ran for 106 yards, the most by any opponent this season. Mark Sanchez is still running on that naked boot in which every single defender fell for. Only 1 sack is unacceptable. With Troy Polamalu out of the lineup, somebody had to make a splash play. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley were relatively quite. When they did get into the backfield, Sanchez shook them off like he was the one with that reputation, not Roethlisberger. Tomlinson ran over Timmons like he stole something. This grade also plays into what is expected from 4 guys that supposedly make up the best linebacking core in the NFL.
Secondary: C+
You have to feel bad for Bryant McFadden. On many of those Brylan Edwards catches, McFadden was in excellent position, but Edwards wanted it more. He is obviously well coached, but struggles with lengthy wideouts. Ryan Mundy, Polamalu’s lineup replacement, did not play poorly. He was around the ball a lot and made a nice pass deflection late in the 4th, but he missed a huge sack on 3rd down on the Jets go-ahead field goal drive. Ryan Clark deserves a considerable amount of credit. He switched from free to strong safety and did not let the Jets make a huge play. Similar to the front 7, without Troy
Special Teams: F, Fail, dismissed from school
The opening kickoff returned for 6 automatically puts the grade at a C or D. Unfortunately for the Steelers, the ST woes were much deeper than that. Brad Smith returned 2 other kicks past the 35 yard line and averaged an astonishing 46.7 yards on 3 attempts. On the contrary, Antonio Brown averaged 14.7 yards on 4 attempts. Anything under 20 is simply not acceptable. Jerricho Cotchery averaged a very healthy 16 yards on 2 put returns. When the Jets punt returner averages more yards than the Steelers’ kick returner, there are issues that need worked out. Jet’s punter Steve Weatherford pinned the Steelers inside the 20 yard line 3 times. Antonio Brown has impressed on his limited opportunities on the field, but Weatherford’s success also falls on Brown. If he calls for a fair catch inside the 10, then moves out of the way, he is not allowed to block a Jets defender. What he should have done, is not call for a fair catch, try to put the Jet’s gunner on their bottom and then run out of the way. That also falls on coaching.
Coaching: D
The Steelers punting from the 34 yard line in the first quarter did not make sense. Throwing the ball to the tight end when Miller is out of the game did not make sense. A draw play out of the shotgun, putting your QB and RB in the endzone late in the game definitely did not make sense. Especially when your guard is pulling which could potentially open up a whole for the end, and it did. Lack of pressure on a QB who has struggled lately did not make sense. The coaching staff had an overall bad game.
Overall C-
No need to panic. This was simply one game and based on multiple tie-breakers; the Steelers still clinched a playoff spot. If they handle their business from here on out, they will get the 2nd seed in the AFC. With Troy
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