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Steelers Vs. Colts Week 15: PFF Grades And Total Snaps

By Clayton Eckert

Posted on December 18, 2023 at 12:00 am

The painful got even worse, with Pittsburgh losing their third-consecutive game, blowing a 13-0 lead and allowing 30-unanswered-points in a season altering defeat against the Colts.

Offense:

Excellent (90-Plus Grades):

NONE.

Great (80-Plus Grades):

NONE.

Good (70-Plus Grades):

Only one player, appropriately. The best offensive-grade was WR Diontae Johnson (77.2, 50-snaps). He had four-catches on six-targets for 62-yards, including an early four-yard TD on an out-route with a good rub-concept. Also, a third-and-four conversion (out-route) for 18-yards, fourth-and-ten fourth-quarter-conversion (15-yards), and finding the soft-spot in zone on a scramble-drill for the only explosive-play of the game (25-yards). Accounted for three of the four-longest-plays for Pittsburgh’s rancid offense.

The Bad (Below 50 Grades):

A whopping seven players, unfortunately. TE Darnell Washington (49.6, 14) wasn’t targeted in the passing game, and has also had better days as a run-blocker, noting a couple good ones early but got messy as the game wore on (true for many performances this game).

Another TE, Pat Freiermuth (45.5, 44). He had a particularly tough-outing as a blocker (32.8-RBLK), appropriate grade IMO with several-failed-reps in my notes along with a holding-penalty. Freiermuth caught three-of-four targets for just 16-yards (stop-routes), the incompletion one of Pittsburgh’s many third-down-fails (4-of-12), thrown well-behind him over-the-middle. Accounted for one conversion (third-and-three), but his usage (or lack-thereof) is still infuriating.

OL was no exception to the poor-play in Week 15, with unbelievably bad grades as pass-blockers. LT Dan Moore (43.7, 58) had a 27.5-PBLK, allowing a whopping eight-pressures, five-hurries, a QB-hit, two-sacks, and a third-quarter holding-penalty. I did note some good run-blocks, but allowed-pressure on Trubisky’s first-interception, and the sacks came in critical-situations: on two three-and-out-drives, one on fourth-and-seven in the fourth-quarter. Whoof.

QB Mason Rudolph (41.0, six) came on after Mitch Trubisky threw his second-interception, earning the latter a spot on the bench. Rudolph went two-of-three for three yards: a TFL, a third-down incompletion sailing out-of-bounds, and five-yards on second-and-13. No TDs/INTs, and was sacked (Moore) on fourth-down.

TE Connor Heyward (40.3, 16) is the third-TE on this undesired-list. Yet another penalized player (holding), beat bad off-the-line. Also struggled as a run-blocker (37.3) and wasn’t targeted in the pass-game. RT Broderick Jones (38.7, 58) thoroughly struggled in the pass game as well. Allowed five-pressures, three-hurries, and two-sacks as well, justly receiving an abysmal 19.3-PBLK-grade.

The lowest-grade on offense was G James Daniels (28.1, 58), with a catastrophic 0.0-PBLK-grade. Not a typo, PFF literally saying it’s the worst-performance you could have. Four-pressures, two-hurries, two-hits, and no-sacks. The latter made that poor-grade surprising. Not saying he was good by-any-means, but felt a bit harsh. Had one particularly cringe-worthy rep blocked to-the-ground, pulling the defender down for you guessed it, a holding-penalty (eight-total-penalties for 101-yards in Week 15). Gross.

Defense:

Excellent (90-Plus Grades):

NONE.

Great (80-Plus Grades):

Several more than I expected, with five players here. The highest-grade on defense and overall was CB James Pierre (88.2), on only one snap, tackling a third-and-seven for a red-zone stop in the second-half, holding Indianapolis to a FG.

EDGE Nick Herbig (83.5) fared well on limited snaps (11). He provided two-tackles, both run-stops in the third-and-fourth-quarters, and earned a team-high 76.9-RBLK-grade where ten of his snaps came.

EDGE Markus Golden (82.0) played 24 snaps after being inactive last week. Had a good pass-rush leading to a bat in the first-half, and three-tackles, two of which were stops. The unfortunate news on the latter was the game being well-at-hand, with PFF seemingly not factoring situational-context into their grading.

S Minkah Fitzpatrick (81.8, 22) suffered yet another in-game-injury (knee), just can’t catch a break. He had a nice pass-breakup on that play, earning a 78.0-COV-grade that was a team-best. Knock-on-wood the knee’s not-too-serious.

EDGE T.J. Watt (80.6, 47) made this tier, deservingly. He led the team with five-pressures, two-sacks, and three-hurries (tied). Just one tackle though, a three-yard run-stop early in the game. Both sacks were excellent, the first leading to a stalled-drive, and the other great RPO defense, accounting for the RB as well on the way to the QB.

Good (70-Plus Grades):

DL Larry Ogunjobi (78.4, 38) is the only player in this tier, surprising in my opinion. He started the game well, highlighted by a great split of a double-team for a third-and-seven sack, and had a few run stops that included a tackle-for-loss. Ogunjobi had four-pressures with three-hurries as well. Far more instances in my notes of him being washed or shooting gaps but unable to get to the ball-carrier, as the Steelers were gashed by the run in the second-half. Also missed a tackle to-boot.

The Bad (Below 50 Grades):

Seven players here, just like the offense. LB Mykal Walker (47.4, 32) has landed in this tier in each of the three-consecutive losses. Torched in coverage overall once again, including a 16-yard RB TD-allowed, and was beat on a dropped TD (TE-drop/CB Joey Porter Jr. credited-PBU). Was also poor in run-defense on several occasions (42.6-RBLK, his lowest-grade). Did have a hit that jarred a third-and-two loose (PBU), but painful outing again. penalty

DL Montravius Adams (47.0, 23) was another culprit in the poor Steelers run-defense. Noted a rep in particular where he was pushed out-of-the-club in the third quarter, and had two-tackles, with his one-yard run-stop coming late-game.

CB Joey Porter Jr. (45.1) played 100-percent of the snaps again. Up-and-down performance though, particularly an untimely DPI-penalty just before half-time, leading to an allowed-RZ-TD heading into the locker-room with a deficit (13-14). He also had a poor-run-angle (31-yards), and didn’t carry a post-route (21-yards) that Fitzpatrick seemed to expect him to. He was credited for a RZ-PBU in the end-zone, but was more of a drop, which the stat-sheet won’t tell you en-route to his worst-39.0-COV-grade in 2023.

DL Cameron Heyward (44.3, 50) lands in this group for the first time in 2023. Five-tackles, one for-a-loss in the fourth-quarter. Normally one of the steady-Steelers-performers was unfortunately not the case in Week 15. He did have a hurry, but unusually poor run-defense (44.4-RBLK) including gaps, angles, churned on some tackles, and even a missed-tackle that is usually unheard of from him.

LB Mark Robinson (38.7, 22) was beat bad in coverage for a TE-TD in the red-zone. Also had issues in run-defense, a tick late closing on a third-and-one run-conversion, and noted angle and two-of-three tackles going for successful plays. His one stop was a one-yard run-tackle, but noted the o-lineman falling down making for an easier play.

S Trenton Thompson (31.6, 51) was second on the team with six-tackles. Only one went for a stop, again late with the loss already etched, and missed-a-tackle as well. Burned in coverage: beat on a third-and-five 42-yard-catch, was hesitant in TE coverage in the red-zone on a luckily overthrown EZ-target, washed and making run-tackles on painful-chunk-gains, and insult-to-injury was getting dinged pushing a 31-yard-run out-of-bounds.

The lowest-grade on defense was DL DeMarvin Leal (30.3, nine). He played late, missing a run-tackle behind the line-of-scrimmage (18-yards), and was dominatingly pushed back on another run that made my notes. All of his snaps came in run-defense, with a team-low 24.8-RDEF-grade. Barf.

Special Teams:

Excellent (90-Plus Grades):

NONE.

Great (80-Plus Grades):

The highest-grade on special teams was Connor Heyward (86.7, 12), providing a nice rush up-the-middle for the punt-block, resulting in the offenses second-touchdown, and had an assisted tackle as well.

Good (70-Plus Grades):

Three players here: LS Christian Kuntz (73.6, six) including a tackle. Nick Herbig (73.5, 21) got the fumble-recovery on Heyward’s punt-block at the one-yard-line, and Thompson (73.3, 14) added a tackle as well.

The Bad (Below 50 Grades):

Two here. Mark Robinson (47.3, 20), also making this un-wanted-list on defense, and the lowest graded special-teamer was K Chris Boswell (44.5-FG-grade, five). Doinked the first extra-point, made the other, but coach Mike Tomlin made the baffling-decision to not send him out for a 57-yard-FG try (one of the best kickers at 50-plus). Instead, P Pressley Harvin (52.7, six) punts 22-yards, critically backfiring in the second-half bashing. Not like Harvin was having a good day, face-palm.

Surprises:

QB Mitch Trubisky (55.9, 52) was bad, benched following two-interceptions. He did have passing and sneak TDs, but going 16-of-23 for a putrid 169-yards, and was sacked-three-times, for a poor 68.9-RAT deserved a lower-grade IMO.
S Damontae Kazee (60.5, 18) was higher than anticipated, struggling in coverage overall (team-high 58-yards-allowedejected penalty). Though he did make an impressive-big-hit, found it ironic he received an 82.9-TACK after being ejected for unnecessary-roughness…on a tackle.
Godwin Igwebuike (65.0, 11) had two 30-plus kick-returns. Seems fair he’d at least be in the good-tier (70-plus).

Lots to choose from this week. Who were yours?