The Pittsburgh Steelers headed to Carolina last night with an array of question marks and concerns. After a disappointing loss to the Baltimore Ravens on prime time last Thursday, the Steelers traveled south to trying to right the ship and get a much needed road win. The Steelers accomplished that mission, and bettered their record to 2-1 compliments of a 37-19 victory in Charlotte.
Lets take a look at the Steelers grades after the impressive bounce back effort.
Quarterback:
Facing the Panthers vaunted defense, Ben Roethlisberger faced another tough road test in prime time. His response to that test was classic Ben. After a tough first half where a combination of questionable play calling, penalties and the streak of no offensive TD’s extended to eight full quarters, Roethlisberger came back with a tremendous second half. This included a touchdown pass to Antonio Brown in the back corner of the end zone that reminded many of the legendary game winner to Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII.
It was clear that two things helped Roethlisberger have a great game. One, the strong running game that kept the Carolina defense on their heels, and the willingness of offensive coordinator Todd Haley to allow Ben to be Ben. In other words, let him make plays down field, be creative with pressure all around him and make plays moving around in the pocket. Though the numbers — 22 for 30, 196 yards and two touchdowns — will not remind anyone of Peyton Manning, he certainly got the job done. Grade: B+
Running Backs:
Sunday night might be remembered as the game that made the rest of the NFL take notice of Le’Veon Bell. Facing a rush defense that has been one of the best in the league, Bell ran for 147 yards on 21 carries. This included a 81-yard dash with the Steelers deep in their own territory and the game still very much in doubt. Bell shows a combination of speed, patience and power that makes him a truly unique back that might be ready to be elite among the NFL ranks.
Let’s not forget LeGarrette Blount. Barely seeing the field until the fourth quarter, Blount took the role of finisher that he was known for last season in New England and ran with it. Blount rushed for 118 yards on 10 carries and added an eight-yd TD run to finish off a 98-yard touchdown drive. The combination of Bell and Blount had a huge game, and if this continues, the Steelers might just be ok moving forward. Grade: A
Wide Receivers:
Antonio Brown once again proved last night why he is one of the very best in the NFL. As usual, Brown is the guy that Roethlisberger can rely on to get open and make plays, and that was the case against the Panthers. Brown would finish with 10 catches for 90 yards, and a pair of touchdown catches. Markus Wheaton was robbed of a beautiful touchdown catch in the first half on a poor call, but still managed to contribute with four catches for 35 yards. Heath Miller quietly had a solid night with four catches and 51 yards. Grade: B+
Offensive Line:
I have been speculating on the possibility of this group taking a huge step forward if they stay healthy and develop to a different level under new position coach Mike Munchak. Though the pessimist could point out some mistakes last night, I’ll skip that, and tell you this group was terrific. Though there were some breakdowns in pass protection, the Steelers line looked flat out dominating in the running game, helping the Steelers have two 100-yard rushers and rushing for 264 yards total. Specifically, David DeCastro had an unreal night, and looks like he could be a Pro-Bowler at this rate. Cody Wallace stepped in for an injured Ramon Foster and was outstanding. Grade: A
Defensive Line:
Well, I guess this group got tired of the critics. What a game for the Steelers defensive front, Cam Heyward was a man possessed, and had some hits on Cam Newton that clearly hurt him. Though only credited with one tackle, Heyward was disruptive throughout. Steve McClendon added a big sack of Newton to his impressive game. Brett Keisel played inspired football, and looked like the player of five years ago. After being gashed for an average of 170 yards per game rushing in the first two contests, the Steelers limited the Panthers to 42 net yards on the ground. Grade: A+
Linebackers:
Other than the fact that Steelers lost two starters; Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier to injury, this group also had a positive night. Jones, who had some tough moments in the first half in particular, had a sack and a forced fumble. Lawrence Timmons was solid, and Sean Spence and Arthur Moats both filled in admirably as injury replacements. Still waiting to see Jason Worilds make an impact as a pass rushing specialist in 2014. Depth was tested with this group, and depending on the status of Jones and Shazier, it might continue. Grade: B
Secondary:
Not a great night overall for the Steelers secondary. Long time starter Ike Taylor broke his right forearm, and will likely be out long term. The under appreciated Taylor will be missed indeed, as William Gay and Antwan Blake will now be asked to pick up the slack. Starter Cortez Allen did not play well last night, and was consistently beaten by multiple receivers. His poor angle on a pass to Greg Olsen led directly to his 37-yard TD catch. Though it looks like many corners will be victimized by Kelvin Benjamin for years to come, the Steelers simply had no answer stopping him. On the bright side, Troy Polamalu and Mike Mitchell looked like they are getting better acquainted, and played relatively well. Grade: C
Special Teams:
Flawless night for the group. Three more field goals for the reliable Shaun Suisham. Brad Wing was effective, and his fourth quarter punt was muffed by Corey “Philly” Brown, leading to a fumble recovery for Robert Golden in the end zone and a huge touchdown for the Steelers, ending any hopes of a comeback by the Panthers. Outstanding work by this group. Grade: A+
Coaching:
If you follow me on Twitter (@GarBercury) you know I was right there joining many others in the criticism of OC Todd Haley’s play calls. Then, when it seemed to be at its peak, the Steelers offense started throwing the ball downfield, and allowing Roethlisberger to be more creative. As I mentioned in my column last week, Dick LeBeau is too good of a coach to be given ten days to right the ship on defense. LeBeau and his staff had this group ready to go, particularly against the run.
Way too many mistakes and penalties, and thats a problem. Sadly however, I am starting to believe that’s just the NFL in 2014 when it comes to calls. I’m sure the Mike Tomlin haters will continue to hate, but he deserves a ton of credit for getting team prepared and handily beating a team that had won 14 of its last 15 regular season games going into last night’s contest. This was not the Browns, this was one of the top teams in the NFC. Grade: A
