Steelers offense earns terrible grade after fatal defeat vs Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense was all over the place against the Ravens on Sunday and that cost the team in the end.

The Steelers offense reverted to its petty form during their game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. It was a game that saw Kenny Pickett leave the contest early and enter into concussion protocol for the second time this season. It led to many mistakes that had the offense only producing 14 points during the contest.

Kenny Pickett exited the game early for Trubisky to falter early and often

It was sad to see Pickett get hurt so early into his first matchup against the Ravens. He might have been able to light a spark for this offense, which has been doing better over the last couple of weeks. Mitch Trubisky had to come in and he did this team no favors with his careless play at the signal caller position.

Grade: F

The only thing keeping Trubisky’s grade from an F- was his ability to be fairly accurate on the day despite terrible turnovers. Those were some of his few incompletions on the day, but the offense looked stale under his leadership. Trubisky is a backup quarterback at best, and now some fans are rooting for Mason Rudolph to get an opportunity if Pickett cannot suit up against the Panthers this week.

The Steelers rushing attack was almost nonexistent this week

Not much was going right for Pittsburgh’s offense in this game after they started to show signs of improvement. Running the football has become a strength for this group in recent weeks, but that changed drastically against Baltimore. It makes you have to wonder if they were just doing better against weaker competition.

Grade: F

Najee Harris looked like he did before the bye week as he second-guessed himself on multiple occasions. He did not see the field well, and the Ravens defense dominated the trenches for most of the game.  The black and gold totaled only 65 overall rushing yards, which is inexcusable no matter how terrible your team is.

Most of the receivers were able to compile a respectable stat line

Perhaps one of the brighter spots on offense were the receivers. Receiver seemed to be the best position group on the field for the Steelers offense. George Pickens has been neglected over the last several weeks, but he took advantage of his opportunities in this one. It is hard to rebound with your starting quarterback going out so early in a game, but these players did a nice job.

Grade: B-

None of them got to the 100-yard mark in this contest, but with Trubisky at the helm, no one should expect that to happen. There are good players in this group, and they should get more chances down the field. Pickens has the makings of a great player; he just needs some more targets to make it all come together.

Most of the tight ends did not have a ton of work like in previous weeks

All was quiet for the tight ends when it came to this contest. Even the Ravens star tight end, Mark Andrews was quiet for most of this matchup. Both he and Pat Freiermuth did not have great days overall and that did not aid either of these clubs’ efforts in the outcome of this game.

Grade: C-

It seemed like the coaches of the Steelers put a focus on using tight ends as extra blockers for most of this contest. They were hoping that would allow for some extra time for the quarterback and better running lanes for Harris and company. Neither of things happened and this positional group could not get established in the passing game either.

The Steelers offensive line took a step back in every way possible

Things were starting to look decent for this group over the last several weeks before they hit the Baltimore game. Things got ugly early and often for this group as they struggled to block in almost every aspect of their game. None of the players upfront should be immune to criticism as this group continues to show their need for upgrades this offseason.

Grade: F

They could not defend their quarterback well and their run blocking might have been even worse. They seemed to show signs of improvement against lesser opponents but got steamrolled against one of the best defensive fronts in the game. The Steelers biggest issue this offseason is going to be figuring out when to stop upgrading positions up front.

Steelers overall offense grade: F

The receivers showed signs of hope in this contest, but the number of turnovers by Trubisky sunk this ship. The boat was taking on water when he arrived, and he just shoved three more giant holes into the framework of this vessel. This offense started running backward this week and all their progress over the last several weeks does not seem to matter anymore.

The Steelers offense is just too inconsistent for this team to have many opportunities to win football games. Pickett being out will be a major factor for this club moving forward if they want success.