Offensive positional grades (cont.):
Wide receivers: C+
James Washington was yet again brilliant in the absence of JuJu Smith-Schuster. While Duck’s passes were hardly on the money, Washington was able to make impressive adjustments on the ball, en route to a 5 catch, 83-yard performance. He likely would have scored twice had Hodges been able to hit him in stride down the field.
Diontae Johnson had another solid performance for the second straight week. However, a costly lost fumble inside the Steelers 10-yard quickly shifted the tides. Tevin Jones, Johnny Holton, and Deon Cain were all irrelevant on Sunday night.
Tight ends: B
Vance McDonald was out with an injury, so the Steelers were very short-handed at the position. Still, Nick Vannett was able to step up and do an excellent job – helping out on the ground and catching 5 of 6 balls for 40 yards.
Offensive line: C+
It wasn’t the best night for Pittsburgh’s offensive line. Though James Conner sprung free on a few nice gains, the running game was held to just 3.4 yards per carry. In the passing attack, Hodges was sacked 4 times and was often forced out of the pocket.