Pittsburgh Steelers report card after win vs. Lions
By Matt Shetler
Defensive Line: The defensive lineman made plays at times. Ziggy Hood, filling in for Brett Keisel, had a sack on the final play for the Lions. Steve McLendon made the play on the Lions fake field goal attempt and Cam Heyward continued to look good, knocking down a pair of passes and recording six tackles. But while the Steelers couldn’t run the ball on the wet field, the Lions found a way to run for 4.3 yards per carry, gaining 107 yards on the ground on the afternoon. Grade: C
Nov 17, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback
Matthew Stafford(9) is sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker
Jason Worilds(bottom) during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 37-27. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Linebackers: At the end of the day, the Steelers defense allowed nearly 400 yards of offense, 27 points and 16 first downs. But give them credit for tightening up after halftime, allowing only five first downs and 72 total yards. Lawrence Timmons didn’t have a great game, with only five tackles, but did recover a fumble. Jason Worilds, filling in for LaMarr Woodley, had a good game with with seven tackles, four hurries and a sack. Rookie Jarvis Jones also made an impact by batting down a couple of passes. Average it all out and it was a decent afternoon for the linebackers. Grade: B
Secondary: The Steelers secondary held Matthew Stafford to 35 yards on just 3 of 16 completions after halftime, but it is hard to ignore the fact that Stafford lit them up for 327 yards in the first half. In addition, while Calvin Johnson was held without a catch in the second half, he torched Ike Taylor in the first half to the tune of six catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor also dropped a pair of gift-wrapped interceptions. Will Allen did record an interception and led the Steelers with nine tackles. Grade: C+
Special Teams: The return game didn’t do much but Shaun Suisham nailed three field goals, punter Mat McBriar had a big 70-yard boot and the Steelers didn’t fall for the Lions’ fake field-goal attempt. Grade: B+
Coaching: The Steelers responded in the second half, so I will give the coaching staff credit, but they still got torched in the second quarter and watched a two-possession lead evaporate. In addition, the red zone problems are starting to become disturbing as the Steelers had to settle for field goals on three of four trips inside the 20. Grade: B-