The Pittsburgh Steelers are now riding a four-game losing streak after their 35-30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. On the other side of things, Dallas won its eighth-straight game.
The Steelers had a chance to win the game, especially after going up near the end of the fourth quarter. However, the defense faltered once again, letting Ezekiel Elliott run all over them and score a touchdown with nine seconds left.
Sunday’s loss wasn’t as negative as the one to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. Pittsburgh was actually able to put points on the board before the fourth quarter. It just still wasn’t enough to curb the Cowboys and their rookie sensations, Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott.
Here are the grades from the Steelers’ Week 10 game against the Cowboys.
Quarterback: If you look on the quarterback stats sheet on paper, Ben Roethlisberger was better than Prescott. Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns and 408 yards on 37/46 completed passes. He looked much more comfortable than he did against Baltimore (when he came back from knee surgery), and threw no interceptions versus Dallas. Roethlisberger also helped with the leadership aspect, demanding more from the rookies and younger guys on the team through his post-game comments and what he said to head coach Mike Tomlin during the week. That leadership will go a long way. Grade: A
Running Backs: It was another under-100-yard day for Le’Veon Bell and company; Bell rushed for a mere 57 yards on 17 carries. However, he scored a rushing touchdown, which really mattered. DeAngelo Williams was absent with an injury, but Roethlisberger did rush once for a single yard. Grade: B-
Wide Receivers: Bell did more than just rush the ball — he also caught a touchdown and totaled 77 yards in the air. Antonio Brown had a day against Dallas, totaling 154 yards on 17 receptions. He also scored a touchdown, as did Eli Rogers. Three touchdowns in total in the air, and two from positional wide receivers. Grade: A-
Tight Ends: If there’s one aspect of the game that has seemingly been absent the whole season thus far, it’s been the tight end corps. Jesse James has been holding down the fort with Ladarius Green’s absence. Green made his first appearance Sunday in a Steelers uniform, catching three passes for 30 yards. James caught four passes for 59 yards. Grade: C
Offensive Line: While the offensive line didn’t help much in the run game, it did keep Roethlisberger safe. Roethlisberger was only sacked once by Demarcus Lawrence. The offensive line kept the pass rush contained so that Roethlisberger could throw for those 408 yards. Grade: B+
Defensive Line: The defensive line found Prescott for one sack, coming from Stephon Tuitt. Dan McCullers and Tuitt both had two total tackles, leading the defensive line. The line didn’t do much to stop Elliott, who ran past Pittsburgh for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Elliot’s last touchdown, at the end of the fourth quarter, had Steelers fans wondering how he ran right through the defensive line. Grade: D-
Linebackers: Anthony Chickillo had the Steelers’ second sack, and he also recorded a forced fumble. Ryan Shazier continued to prove his dominance against offenses, recording five tackles and assisting on four tackles. Lawrence Timmons wasn’t far behind him, recording four tackles and assisting on two tackles. However, Elliott ran all over all the linebackers, and that can’t be ignored. Grade: D+
Secondary: Sean Davis and Artie Burns once again led the defense in tackles. The rookies both totaled nine tackles and three assisted tackles. However, Prescott threw for 319 yards and found both Elliott and Dez Bryant for receiving touchdowns. Grade: D+
Special Teams: There were no botched onside kick attempts this week, but Chris Boswell did miss a field goal. He went 2/3 against the Cowboys, converting field goals from 39 and 25 yards. Punter Jordan Berry punted four times and put two inside the Cowboys’ 20-yard line. Grade: B-
Coaching: The Steelers’ coaches are certainly on the hot-seat, no matter what any NFL expert says. It’s clear that offensive coordinator Todd Haley, defensive coordinator Keith Butler and head coach Mike Tomlin are in trouble. Tomlin was right to go for the first two-point conversion, but after two failed attempts, why keep trying? The best thing to do after the first two missed two-point conversions was to let Boswell get some points on the board. Grade: D-
What’s Next?
The Steelers will head to Cleveland to face the 0-10 Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov, 20. at 1 p.m. EST.
Image credit: Don Wright/AP Photo
