Pittsburgh Steelers report card following loss to Vikings
By Matt Shetler
Sep 29, 2013; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) scores a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Martin-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive Line: Adrian Peterson gashed the Steelers front for 140 yards on 23 carries and a pair of touchdowns. The Steelers have allowed back-to-back 100 yard performances on the ground, which used to be unheard of. The Steelers front gets no pressure on the quarterback and can’t stop the run. Not a good combination. Grade: D-
Linebackers: The linebackers missed countless tackles and got very little pressure on backup quarterback Matt Cassel. Only getting one sack just added to a very sloppy and embarrassing performance overall. Grade: D-
Secondary: Cassel passed for 248 yards and Jerome Simpson had seven catches for 124 yards. That should say enough, but throw in the fact that Cortez Allen got abused by Greg Jennings a few times and it was an awful performance from the defensive backs, who once again didn’t force a single turnover. They also missed several tackles that played a huge role in the defeat. Grade: D-
Special Teams: The Steelers got nothing from their return units and allowed Cordarrelle Patterson to average nearly 30 yards per kickoff return. Throw in the fact that punt Zoltan Mesko struggled again, and it wasn’t a pretty day from the special teams units. Grade: D
Coaching: The defense stinks and the offense keeps making mistakes at crucial times. Are the Steelers the worst team in football? Roethlisberger thinks so. He could be right. Grade: F