Steelers positional report card in final game vs. Ravens

The Steelers fell short of the playoffs in 2019. Here is my positional report card for Pittsburgh in their final game against the Ravens.

The Steelers couldn’t have been much more disappointing to close out the season. After falling short to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in back-to-back games, Pittsburgh lost to a group of backups in Baltimore to finish the year.

Pittsburgh managed just 10 points per game over their last three contests, and things haven’t gone well all season offensively. With the 2019 season now over, here is my positional report card for the Steelers in their final game of the season against the Ravens:

Quarterback: F

Despite Baltimore resting a handful of players in this contest, Hodges played one of the worst games of his short career. He connected on just 9 of 25 passes and failed to eclipse 100 passing yards. After such a dreadful end to his rookie season, it’s hard to say whether or not he will get a chance to take the field again during the regular season for Pittsburgh in the future.

Running backs: B+

Benny Snell will never be the type of running back to break off big plays on a consistent basis. However, he displayed very good vision and contact balance in what was perhaps the best game of his career.  Snell managed 91 rushing yards on 5.1 yards per attempt. No other back received more than three touches in this game.

Receivers: D-

While it’s hard to pinpoint how exactly how much of blame falls on the receivers with such erratic quarterback play, things didn’t look good for this group of guys. Diontae Johnson once again led the charge with 4 catches for 54 yards, but JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington combined for just 2 catches for 6 yards on 9 targets. It was a rough game all around.

Offensive line: B-

The offensive line actually didn’t have a bad performance against the Ravens on Sunday. They were able to create some running lanes on the ground and provided a solid pocket for Hodges to throw. While they did allow two sacks, Hodges often held onto the ball too long.

Defensive line: C-

I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t the best game for the Steelers defensive line. While Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt made the occasional splash play, they were beaten in the run game as they allowed Gus Edwards and company to rush for 223 yards on 5.1 yards per attempt. The Steelers had no answer against the run.

Linebackers: C+

Obviously, some of this blame against the run falls on the linebackers as well. However, Devin Bush and company were sound in coverage. It was a decent performance from this group.

Secondary: A

As has been the surprise story all season, this secondary is shaping up to be one of the very best positional groups on the team. Though the Ravens were playing without Lamar Jackson, Pittsburgh’s secondary allowed just 96 passing yards on 21 attempts to Robert Griffin III (4.6 yards per attempt). Joe Haden also managed to intercept a pass off a deflection late in the fourth quarter.

Special Teams: F

The only thing worse than the quarterback play in this game was the slop-fest on special teams. Jordan Berry couldn’t handle a snap when trying to punt the ball. The Ravens knocked the ball loose from Berry and took it in for a score – driving the nail into the coffin for Pittsburgh’s season.

All in all, it was a tough loss for Pittsburgh that was accompanied by horrendous play at multiple positional groups. The Steelers have now missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Let’s hope they find a way to bounce back in 2020.