Well, that was brutal.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a slow start, struggled to get into gear, and then had issues staying out of their own way, botching a late comeback attempt to fall to 3-1 on the season after a 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
A vaunted defense never showed up against a Colts team that had to turn to backup Joe Flacco in the first quarter while the Steelers’ offensive line had issues getting anything going in the run game. Steelers quarterback Justin Fields shook off a tough start to play very well down the stretch and give the Steelers a shot, but the inability to get consistent stops or force turnovers defensively simply wasn’t good enough.
Let’s get to some grades from the loss.
QB — B
Through the first two-plus quarters, Justin Fields reverted back to some bad habits from his time in Chicago. He held onto the football too long a couple of times and took bad sacks, one of which nearly cost the Steelers points late in the first half.
Then, he tried to play hero ball on a third down, lost 20 yards on a scramble and fumbled the ball away, taking a chance at a field goal away in what was ultimately a three-point loss, something he lamented after the game.
But after that crucial fumble, Fields played great football the rest of the game. He finished with 312 passing yards and one touchdown, adding two rushing touchdowns on 10 carries for 55 yards. Fields made plays with his legs, extended plays, made some critical throws down the field and really looked dialed until the final fateful drive in which a botched snap doomed the Steelers.
It was a very encouraging performance from Fields through the air. He took over the game at points and looked like that dynamic franchise quarterback.
But that fumble really looms large. Still, plenty to build from moving forward.
RB – C-
Coming into Sunday, the expectation was the Steelers would be able to run the football against the Colts, and that Najee Harris would have a big game. That didn’t exactly happen.
Harris finished with just 19 yards on 13 carries and had Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin call him soft after the game. Time and time again, Harris was running against a packed box where the Colts had multiple free defenders to get after him.
He made some plays in the passing game, finishing with three receptions for 54 yards, and had a nice 32-yard catch and run to put the Steelers in scoring position. But it was disappointing to see the lack of production in the run game from Harris.
It was encouraging to see Cordarrelle Patterson have success before exiting with an ankle injury. Patterson was the lone spark offensively in the first half, rushing for 43 yards on six carries. He was ripping off some nice runs and really helped the Steelers get into rhythm.
Losing him was a big blow, which is something I wouldn’t have expected to say in the run game. Practice-squad elevation Aaron Shampklin had one carry for five yards and had some issues in pass protection when on the field. This team needs a healthy Jaylen Warren back, and soon.
WR — C-
George Pickens’s stats look pretty darn good, the third-year WR finishing with seven receptions for 113 yards on Sunday. But his one crucial mistake cost the Steelers dearly.
Pickens broke a tackle and got inside the 5-yard line, but then fumbled the ball away, keeping points off the board. It was a major mistake and ultimately cost the Steelers. To Pickens’s credit, he bounced back nicely and had a huge day through the air, making plays down the field, continuing to combine with Justin Fields for a dynamic passing duo.
Outside of him though, the wide receiver room is largely non-existent.
Van Jefferson had two catches for 21 yards in the loss and wasn’t much of a factor. Calvin Austin III – one week after a near-100-yard performance with a huge touchdown — had just one catch for 17 yards.
The Steelers have to get more production from the room moving forward.
TE — B
It was nice to see Pat Freiermuth get more work on Sunday. The fourth-year tight end hauled in five passes for 57 yards and a had a big eight-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game. He was steady over the middle of the field and tough after the catch.
Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come in the passing game as teams start to focus more and more on the perimeter on Pickens.
Darnell Washington had a nice game, too, hauling in two passes for 31 yards, including a highlight-reel 20-yard catch and run in which he buried one defender with a stiff arm and then hurdled another defender. He’s getting more work in recent weeks in the passing game and is rewarding the Steelers there.
OL — D+
The Steelers rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, but for much of the game it certainly didn’t feel that way.
Their offensive line really struggled to create lanes for Najee Harris and were overwhelmed early in the run game as the Colts were ultra-aggressive against the run, firing downhill snap after snap. They really gave the Steelers fits.
In the passing game, it wasn’t as bad as it was made out to be. Yes, the Steelers gave up four sacks and nine quarterback hits, but Justin Fields took at least two bad sacks, holding onto the football too long. He had time late in the game when they were largely one-dimensional.
The botched snap is a real concern though. Being unable to consistently snap the football cleanly is a real issue. Losing James Daniels early to an injury, too, was a major blow.
DL — D-
The Colts hammered away at the defensive front on the ground early and really did whatever they wanted against the Steelers. It was a matchup that the Steelers were looking forward to all week, and they just weren’t ready to go.
Keeanu Benton got pushed around far too often against a rookie center making his first NFL start while Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi were slow to get going.
Fortunately, the two veterans locked in and made plays throughout the rest of the game, particularly in the second half. Heyward finished with six tackles, a sack and three quarterback hits, but his missed sack in the fourth quarter in which Joe Flacco was able to throw the ball away was a killer. He finishes that, it might be a different game.
Ogunjobi had six tackles, half a sack and one tackle for loss and was a disruptive pass rusher on the interior, particularly in the fourth quarter. That was encouraging.
Benton had three tackles and a tackle for loss, but he was mostly non-existent for stretches in a matchup that he should have dominated. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravius Adams were rather quiet in rotation, too. DeMarvin Leal played quite a few snaps rotating along the defensive line and at outside linebacker and wasn’t a factor at all. No pass rush generated from him.
LB — F
Against a run-heavy offense that has athletic offensive linemen who can get to the second level, the Steelers’ linebackers really struggled.
Patrick Queen had a tough time getting off blocks against the run and was seemingly out of position often in coverage. Communication issues were rampant, too, which he owned after the game. Through the first four games it hasn’t been what many were hoping for from the addition of Queen.
Rookie Payton Wilson played quite a bit on Sunday, too, and struggled to stay clean and get off blocks, much like Queen. Wilson had six tackles, but he wasn’t very impactful against the run. Elandon Roberts wasn’t all that impactful, either, with just three tackles.
Really concerning performance from the inside linebackers, period.
Same for the outside linebackers, too.
With Alex Highsmith out due to injury, Nick Herbig had a real opportunity in front of him as a starter. He didn’t do much. Herbig had just two tackles on the day, didn’t do much against the run and failed to really generate much of a pass rush. Maybe he was limited more than expected after sustaining an ankle injury, but it wasn’t a good game from Herbig.
Same for T.J. Watt. The Colts chipped him and sent extra attention over and over again at Watt and it limited him. He had just two tackles on the day. No quarterback hits, no tackles for loss, nothing. Ugly game.
DB — D
I liked what I saw from safeties DeShon Elliott and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The two combined for 21 tackles on the afternoon. Fitzpatrick and Elliott helped force a fumble in the first half, too, but the Steelers couldn’t recover it.
They were the two best defenders on the day for the Steelers, which is bad when they’re the last line of defense.
At cornerback, Joey Porter Jr. had a forgettable game. He had a pass interference penalty against him, failed to get a hand on the first pass of the game on a play he should have made, and later dropped an interception in the end zone that led to a Colts touchdown.
Donte Jackson had a decent game in coverage, but his missed tackle in the fourth quarter on a third down loomed large as the Colts converted and went on to kick a field goal. Beanie Bishop Jr. had half a sack on the day, combining with Ogunjobi.
Special Teams — B+
Calvin Austin III might have been the best weapon for the Steelers on the day thanks to his 30-yard punt return. With the Steelers trailing 17-3, Austin came up large with a great 30-yard punt return. Three plays later, though, the Steelers fumbled the football away, wasting the opportunity.
Austin has been so close to breaking one, and he nearly did again on Sunday. A punt-return TD is coming.
Kicker Chris Boswell drilled a 50-yard field goal and was perfect on extra points. But it was strange to see the Steelers pass on a field goal in the first half in Colts’ territory and punt. Corliss Waitman wasn’t all that good punting the football.
He averaged just 34.3 yards on three punts, and while two were downed inside the 20-yard line, he didn’t get as much distance on those punts as he should have to pin the Colts back a bit further.
