Steelers report card: Justin Fields shines as Pittsburgh sputters vs. Colts

Wow, that game was hard to watch. The Steelers were completely dominated in the first half. We have heard all year that Pittsburgh cannot play far behind their opponent to have a shot at winning. The black and gold proved that to be true against the Colts. The Steelers got behind three possessions rather quickly and couldn't catch up despite their valiant effort to fight back in the second half.

No matter the injuries both sides went through and the penalties, the Colts were the prepared team. The Steelers took them lightly and looked soft to start the game, as the defense got bullied both through the air and on the ground. Pittsburgh's offense didn't provide any favors until the second half.

This was a humbling loss that showed fight until the end. It was very sloppy on the Steelers' part. Let's dive into Pittsburgh's grades from Week 4.

Steelers offense report card grade: B-

It was a tale of two halves for the Steelers offense. They started slow and struggled up front in the run game. They at least provided some quality reps in pass protection. Najee Harris looked slow and not ready to impose his will against the Colts physically. Pittsburgh got blown up on the ground for most of the game, even though Cordarrelle Patterson provided a spark before getting injured.

Justin Fields should not have his performance hindered because the Steelers lost. He played an exceptional game besides the fumble that he had. Fields produced big numbers and did his best to get Pittsburgh back into a position to win.

The receivers were fine, but George Pickens cannot make poor decisions with the ball in his hands and cost his team points as he did this past weekend.

Steelers defense report card grade: F

Even though the Steelers' offense only produced three points in the first half, Pittsburgh's defense sunk completely. They looked out of sorts throughout the entire game, but mostly in the first 30 minutes of play. Mike Tomlin's team could not get the stops when needed and they got destroyed up front by an offensive line that was missing some pieces. The black and gold should be ashamed.

Miscommunication was a big problem for the Steeler's defense in this one, and they rarely provided pressure. The secondary also had its worst game of the season by far, even though they played a backup quarterback for most of the game. They couldn't turn the ball over nor set up their offense to succeed like prior weeks. The Steeler's defense should take the brunt of the blame for this loss.

Steelers special teams report card grade: C+

Not too much to report for the Steeler's special teams as they got little work against the Colts. Grading them was a challenge, but they did provide some good things in this contest. They also showed some bad things too. Chris Boswell made his only field goal attempt of 50 yards. Light work, but he at least remained in the good collum.

Calvin Austin III provided a splash play as a punt returner and set the Steelers up in good field position. His return upgraded the special teams grade as a whole. Corliss Waitman took a big step back this week. He only punted the ball three times, but his average dipped down. His three punt attempts only averaged about 34 yards, which is very troublesome to see after his hot start.