Taken from the grade book of a teacher who hopes his students learned that one bad snap can ruin the whole barrel, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 loss to the Colts.

Justin Fields is sacked after an errant 4th quarter snap. Photo Credit: CBS47 and KSEE24

Quarterback
Justin Fields displayed both good and bad. He was 22 of 34 for 314 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. After some rough patches, he rallied the team leading 3 4th quarter touchdown drives. All encouraging positives. On the negative side, he scuttled one drive with a very negative sack and then had yet another snap hit him in the face following the 2-minute warning. We don’t grade on a curve, and those mistakes carried a dear price. Grade: C-

Running Backs
In going 6-43 Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t simply run well, he had the look of a back who might take over the game. Alas, he got hurt, giving way to Najee Harris. Running behind the same line against the same defenders Harris put on a display of “Sludge Ball” at its worst. ON paper, he had a good day catching the ball, going 3 passes for 56 yards, but on his last one he failed to get out of bounds. Practice squader Aaron Shampklin had one carry for 5 yards. Patterson’s performance brings the group grade up. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had 5 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown while Darnell Washington had 2 grabs for 31 yards, including a 20 beauty. Arthur Smith still doesn’t seem able to make Connor Heyward into a weapon. The tight ends were above the line. Grade: C

Wide Receiver
George Pickens had 7 catches for 113 yards on 11 targets – a great day statistically. However, his fumble late in the 2nd quarter cost the Steelers at least 3 points if not 7. Calvin Austin had a nice 17 yard catch and Van Jefferson took off his invisibility cloak to make 2 catches for 21 yards. But between Pickens’ fumble and the lack of a true number 2 wide out, this group’s grade suffers. Grade: D

Offensive Line
Yes, losing James Daniels hurts. And yes, they were starting a rookie. And yes this unit is now down to 2 of his 5 projected starters. But NFL games don’t get graded on a curve. The Colts front seven both out muscled and out maneuvered the Steelers offensive line early in the game. Things improved in the second half, but why was their yet another errant snap? Grade: F

Defensive Line
The surprising thing about Jonathan Taylor’s state line is that its only for 88 yards and 4.2 yards a carry – he certainly was averaging better than that in the first half. When Cam Heyward can wrap Joe Flacco only to see Flacco squirm out and complete a pass, you know its been a difficult day for the Steelers defensive line. The line got batter later in the game, but it was too little, too late. Grade: D

Linebackers
T.J. Watt was held without a sack, literally, for the first time this year. Nick Herbig did get his, but the Steelers missed Alex Highsmith’s presence against the run. Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts and Peyton Wilson shoulder some of the blame for the Colts rushing success. Grade: C-

Secondary
Minkah Fitzpatrick’s penalty wasn’t fair, but it was certainly costly. Joey Porter Jr. had a rough outing, and that doesn’t include his letting an interception slip through his fingers in the end zone. The Colts were 8 of 15 on third downs and had two touchdowns through the air. Grade: D

Special Teams
Corliss Waitman’s 34.4 average might not impress, but he did land two inside the 20. Calvin Austin had a strong return that should have set up a 2nd half score. In other news Chris Boswell kicked another 50 yarder. Grade: B

Coaching
Credit the Indianapolis offensive staff:  They clearly came prepared to take it to the Steelers defense, and for too long Teryl Austin’s unit struggled to make the adjustments. They did hold the Colts at the end when it counted, but that simply wasn’t enough.

Arthur Smith’s offense remains a work in progress.

When Najee Harris wasn’t getting the job done on the ground, he switched up to Patterson and it worked. Without a running game he guided Justin Fields to an incredible 21 point 4th quarter effort, effectively using tight end and running backs to make up for the deficiency at wide receiver. Still, the unit took too long to show life.

Mike Tomlin likes to say, “Players play, coaches coach.” Fair enough. But errant center-quarterback exchanges are becoming a staple of this offense. Tomlin needs have Zach Frazier and Justin Fields rep this for as long as it takes to get it right.

DeShon Elliot. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

For the record, this one didn’t have the feel of a “Tomlin Trap” game – and Steelers coaches and players did make adjustments. But the Colts hit the ground running in this game while the Steelers took too long to find their footing, and that falls on Mike Tomlin’s shoulders. Grade: D

Unsung Hero Award
In a game where a lot of things went wrong, there was one player who consistently crossed the field to help make things right and in doing so he led the team in tackles. And for that DeShon Elliott wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 road loss to the Colts.

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