Things were ugly Thursday night, as the Steelers fell  to the Packers, 51-34, at Lambeau Field in their second game of the 2018 preseason. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect a high GPA.

Quarterbacks

Mason Rudolph made his first start against the Packers and was immediately victimized by a pick-six on his very first pass of the night. Rudolph played the rest of the first half and recovered a bit, completing five of 12 passes for 47 yards and a four-yard touchdown to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Joshua Dobbs took over in the second half, and he, too, proceeded to throw a pick-six on his very first pass. Dobbs did fare a bit better, completing 12 of 18 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns to go along with that interception, while also contributing 27 rushing yards. Grade: C

Running Backs

James Conner, he of the leaner and meaner physique, looked impressive in his limited amount of work, carrying five times for 57 yard–including a 26-yard touchdown. Rookie Jaylen Samuels had a nice night, as he posted 38 yards and a score on nine carries, while veteran backup Fitzgerald Toussaint continued to play decent this preseason, tallying 26 yards on seven carries. Grade: B

Wide Receivers

This just in: The Steelers know how  to identify and cultivate receivers. Latest example appears to be second-round pick James Washington, who pulled in five catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Washington showed off one facet of his skill-set by getting deep on a 57-yard pass from Dobbs; and he showed off his ability to make the combat catch on a 19-yard touchdown in-which he was able to out-physical a Green Bay defensive back and come away with the football. It was a quick night for Smith-Schuster, but he continues to be a touchdown-machine, pulling in his lone reception for a four-yard score in the first half. Damoun Patterson continued his impressive preseason, catching three passes for 35 yards–including a 29-yarder. Grade: B+

Tight Ends

It was another uneventful night for the tight ends, although Jesse James did set up a score with a 21-yard catch (his only one of the night). Injuries continue to be a problem for Vance McDonald, as he sat out Thursday’s game with yet another ailment. Grade: Incomplete

Offensive Linemen

Rudolph was sacked three times, but that may have been more on him and less on the line, albeit one that was missing some key starters. Missing key starters or not, the Steelers did rush for 157 yards, while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Grade: B-

Defensive Linemen

Javon Hargrave had a decent night, as did big Dan McCullers, as he plays for his football life this summer. However, the defensive line, minus Cam Heyward, didn’t generate all that much pressure on the Packers’ stable of four quarterbacks. And it’s hard to give a great evaluation of any unit that’s part of a defense that allowed 37 points on the night and had trouble getting off the field on third down. Grade: C-

Linebackers

What can you say about the inside linebacker unit? It’s very early, but it doesn’t look like Jon Bostic is going to adequately close the massive hole that was left in the middle by the tragic loss of Ryan Shazier late last season. Tyler Matakevich didn’t do a lot to make one feel better about the unit, either. L.J. Fort did have a fine night, posting five tackles and a sack, and unknown rookie Matthew Thomas also drew some praise. As for the outside linebacker position, Bud Dupree did record a sack, and the Packers were held to 77 yards rushing. Grade: C-

Secondary

The unit was missing Joe Haden, Mike Hilton and Sean Davis, and I don’t know if that had a lot to do with so many missed tackles, bad angles and futile pursuits of Packer ball carriers, but it obviously didn’t help much. The young Terrell Edmunds did continue to play well, even if he was pretty much helpless on a touchdown pass from future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to stud tight end Jimmy Graham. As for the veteran side of things, Morgan Burnett returned to Green Bay to take on his former team and acquitted himself quite well, even recording a sack in the process. But those missed tackles and bad angles…just so many. Grade: D

Special Teams

Edmunds did set up Pittsburgh’s second touchdown by forcing and then recovering a fumble on a kickoff. The low-light for Danny Smith’s unit may have been Jordan Berry’s punting, as the veteran continues to draw criticism this summer–including from his head coach in the post-game presser. As for the return game, Quadree Henderson’s main path to a roster spot is that avenue, and again, Thursday night, that avenue was closed. Grade: C-

Coaching

Missing several key starters–including the Killer B’s–it remains to be seen if Pittsburgh’s biggest offensive weaknesses from 2017–red zone efficiency and situational play-calling–have been rectified in 2018. As for the defense, yes, that unit was also missing several key starters. But Mike Tomlin and Keith

Photo credit: Packers Wire USA Today.

Butler appear to have a huge problem on their hands finding some combination of defensive backs and inside linebackers to protect the middle of the field. Thursday night, they seemed light years away from finding a solution. Grade: C-