James Daniels is the forgotten man along the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line, but Pro Football Focus has been giving him his due praise over the first two weeks. After a top-five finish in PFF grades last week, Daniels led the team in Week 2 with an elite 91.5 overall grade.
On defense, DT Keeanu Benton had a bounce-back performance with a very solid 88.7 grade. PFF/s below tweet only shows players with a minimum of 25 snaps, or CB Cory Trice Jr. would have led the defense with a 90.1 grade.
Through two weeks, Daniels is the third-best guard in football according to PFF. He sits only behind Indianapolis Colts OG Will Fries and New Orleans Saints OG Lucas Patrick. His steady play is much needed with Isaac Seumalo out due to a pectoral injury. He has allowed five total pressures through two weeks, but his league-best 90.5 run-block grade has him among the best guards in the league.
Benton did not fare so well in Week 1. He was graded as one of the worst Steelers defenders with a 45.6 overall grade, largely due to his 39.7 grade against the run. He turned that around in Week 2 with an 88.7 overall grade, including a much-improved 73.4 against the run. He also generated two total pressures and one big hit on rookie QB Bo Nix.
Had Trice logged just four more snaps on defense, he would have been atop the Steelers’ defense. When he stepped in at outside corner for an injured Donte Jackson, he quickly made an impact play with an interception in the end zone that prevented the Broncos’ offensive spark from becoming a flame.
It’s a small sample size for Trice with just 28 total snaps through two weeks, but he is PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in the NFL with an 86.5 overall grade. He is helping answer the question about CB depth in Pittsburgh. His teammates offered a lot of praise for his great performance in yesterday’s game.
For those of you interested in Justin Fields’ performance, he received a slightly lower grade in Week 2 at 69.9, but he remains a top-five passer in the NFL through two weeks. He has been performing well overall, but this also speaks to the quarterback struggles around the league so far this season.
Darnell Washington had his first career touchdown, and his impact went beyond just that one play. He continues to improve as a blocker, which is great news for a Steelers offense that wants to utilize tight ends in a variety of ways.
DeShon Elliott continues to look like the best former Raven signed in free agency this year. He is being used all over the defense, including down in the box as a linebacker, and his physical play jumps off the screen. Alex Kozora posted a film room of his performance this morning.
Finally, George Pickens received a solid 79.6 overall grade. If you looked at the box score, it didn’t look like a great game, but he had a short touchdown and a deep 51-yard completion negated by penalties. He would be among the top receivers in the league through two weeks if the Steelers weren’t plagued penalty issues.
