What an embarrassment that was for the Pittsburgh Steelers in primetime.
There was much hype surrounding this one coming into kickoff against the Green Bay Packers due to the Aaron Rodgers storyline and the 1933 throwbacks. The Steelers started out strong in the first half, and then promptly fell flat on their faces in the second half.
It resulted in one of the worst blown fourth-quarter leads in more than 40 years for the Steelers. Now, Pittsburgh is on the brink of a terrible stretch of football after the 35-25 loss.
The defense can’t stop anyone, there is no pass rush, injuries are piling up, and the offense is undisciplined and couldn’t stay out of its own way for stretches.
Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Let’s get to some grades.
QB — B-
It was supposed to be a big moment for Rodgers in his first career start against his former team. Instead, he struggled at times, missed some throws, and wasn’t the guy who had elevated the offense in recent weeks. Rodgers finished just 24-0f-36 for 219 yards in the loss.
He threw two touchdowns and had some great plays, including his 45-yard strike to Roman Wilson and the quick check to a slant for DK Metcalf. But he also missed some potential big plays, including a ball to Metcalf that was barely tipped by a Packers safety, saving a touchdown. It was just slightly underthrown.
Rodgers even said after the game that he didn’t play well enough. The struggles offensively weren’t all on him, but he wasn’t the Rodgers we’d seen in recent weeks, being that rising tide that lifts all boats.
RB — B-
The Steelers had a lot of success running the football in the first half, taking it to the Packers’ defense. But the injury to Isaac Seumalo forced Spencer Anderson into the starting lineup, taking away the jumbo package for Pittsburgh, and in the process, the Steelers got away from the run game.
That was a shame, because Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell were having strong nights on the ground. Warren finished with 62 rushing yards on 13 carries. He was a bull in a china shop, dishing out punishment to Green Bay. At times, he was really rolling in the run game. And then they just got away from it for stretches. Puzzling.
Gainwell finished with 31 yards on five carries and had some success on the ground like Warren. He turned a solid day into a poor one with his late fumble, leading to a Green Bay field goal.
WR — B-
A career day for Roman Wilson, which is what Steelers fans have been waiting for. Wilson started the game with a bang, hauling in a 45-yard deep shot from Rodgers on a broken play, making a terrific play along the sideline. He built off of that from there, finishing the game with four receptions of 74 yards and his first career touchdown, a 21-yard strike from Rodgers late.
The arrow is very clearly pointing up for Wilson.
DK Metcalf had a solid night with five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. He probably should have had a second touchdown in the game, high-pointing the football instead of letting the Packers defender play through his hands. But Metcalf really hindered the offense with penalties, drawing an offensive pass interference penalty early on, and then landing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the fourth quarter after jawing with a Packers defender. He has to be more disciplined.
Calvin Austin III had just four receptions for 28 yards in his return from injury and was largely utilized in the quick game, while Ben Skowronek added one reception for 13 yards, dishing out punishment on his catch-and-run.
TE — C-
Darnell Washington was good as a blocker once again, clearing lanes in the run game. He wasn’t utilized much in the passing game, outside of drawing a penalty on the 2-point try late in the game.
Jonnu Smith had just two catches for 17 yards and couldn’t haul in a seam route shot from Rodgers on a key third down. He also dropped the two-point try late in the game that would have made it a one-score game. Pat Freiermuth had just three receptions for 13 yards, though he led all tight ends in targets, which was encouraging.
OL — B-
In the run game, the Steelers really got after the Packers. They created a ton of movement up front and gave Warren and Gainwell lanes to rip through. Pass protection was okay for the most part, too, though they did give up a pair of sacks to Rashan Gary and one sack to Micah Parsons.
Getting behind the sticks like the Steelers did makes it very challenging to pass protect in today’s NFL. Guys can pin their ears back, and that’s what happened to the Steelers’ offensive line in the second half. Seumalo’s injury is concerning, too, because it takes away the jumbo package and forces Anderson into the lineup.
Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
DL — C-
Well, they stopped the run at least, right?
One week after getting gashed by the Bengals, the Steelers set out to stop the run. They controlled Josh Jacobs in the game. Cameron Heyward had seven tackles and was around the football a great deal in the run game. He backed up his frustrations from last week.
Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon combined for three tackles and held their gaps well, defending the run.
The problem is, the defensive line generated no pressure against Jordan Love and the Packers’ passing attack.
LB — D
What a disastrous performance from the linebackers.
Sure, the Packers were getting the ball out quickly in the passing game, but there was no pressure from the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, and no coverage from Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson.
Wilson led the Steelers with nine tackles, but it all felt empty. Watt had six tackles and a quarterback hit. He defended the run well, but he’s paid to rush the passer, and he’s not getting home. Again, teams are getting the ball out quickly, but he has to find a way to disrupt the game again.
Patrick Queen did a lot of chasing all game long and finished with just three tackles. He was picked apart in coverage and really had no answer. Nick Herbig once again had his snaps limited, too, and didn’t have much of an impact defensively.
DB — F
The Steelers brought in so many big names in the secondary this offseason, and somehow things have gotten worse.
Darius Slay can’t tackle or cover. He might be losing some playing time moving forward, as he should. Jalen Ramsey had a nice hit early in the game along the sideline, but he’s fallen off in coverage and isn’t the same guy. He’s not that chess piece that the Steelers thought they were getting.
Joey Porter Jr. can’t tackle either, though he had some nice moments in coverage tonight. But if you can’t tackle, you can’t really play. And he’s a mess there. He did have a nice pass breakup in the game, though.
Brandin Echols had a great summer, but the more exposure he has on the field, the more issues there are for him in coverage. He was burned a couple of times in the second half.
Juan Thornhill looks lost at safety at the moment. It is becoming increasingly clear why Browns fans were happy he was gone. The play where he misplayed the ball in the centerfield role and gave up a big completion to Christian Watson was ugly and reminded me of Morgan Burnett. Pain.
DeShon Elliott is the rock of this secondary, but it looks like he might be lost for a bit after suffering yet another knee injury, and on a play in which it should have been offensive pass interference, which led to a couple of missed tackles. Chuck Clark is borderline unplayable at this point, too.
It all stinks right now in the secondary.
Special Teams — B
Who knows how bad this team would be without Chris Boswell being as clutch as he is? Against the Packers, Boswell drilled four field goals on the night and kept the Steelers in the game with his ability to finish off drives with points. He’s the best kicker in football, and it’s not close.
Corliss Waitman had a nice night punting the ball, averaging 48.5 net yards per punt on four punts. He had a 51-yarder on the night and downed one of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
I thought Ke’Shawn Williams was good in the return game, too, ripping off a 16-yard punt return.
The issue I had with special teams was the killer Nick Herbig 15-yard penalty after Ben Skowronek was ganged up on. It shouldn’t have been just a penalty on Herbig, but it was, and it created a short field for the Packers that led to a touchdown in the second half.
