Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card after loss to Bears
By Matt Shetler
Defensive Line: The Bears rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries and while Brett Keisel and Cam Heyward got a little bit of pressure on Jay Cutler, it didn’t matter much as Cutler had it easy for most of the night. The most disturbing part is that Steve McLendon got pushed around big time for the third straight game. Grade: D+
Sep 22, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Bears running back
Matt Forte(22) runs the ball against Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers
LaMarr Woodley(56) and
Lawrence Timmons(94) during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Linebackers: LaMarr Woodley got to Cutler once and the outside backers tried to get to the quarterback, but were unsuccessful all night. Rookie Vince Williams played pretty well despite vacating his spot on Forte’s 55-yard run in the first quarter and looks to be the starter going forward. Lawrence Timmons also played pretty well leading the team with nine tackles (seven solo). Grade: C
Secondary: Ike Taylor and William Gay were pretty solid until late as Taylor kept Brandon Marshall in check until his 41-yard catch late, but that took a perfect throw from Cutler. Ryan Clark missed a tackle on Forte’s big run which ultimately proved costly. However still no turnovers from this defense as the secondary has to find ways to take the football away. Getting off the field on third down is starting to become a bad trend as well as the Bears converted three big third-down conversions late in the game. Grade: C-
Special Teams: A solid effort from the special teams unit. They held Devin Hester in check and kicker Shaun Suisham was his usual accurate self in making three field goals. Punter Zoltan Mesko turned in yet another inconsistent performance, which isn’t good news. Grade: C+
Coaching: Five turnovers from the offense. Nothing from the defense. What exactly is this team’s identity? Not even the coaching staff knows. Grade: F