Pittsburgh Steelers: Final Report Card for 2013 Season

Running Backs: It was a shame that the Steelers had to start the season without rookie Le’Veon Bell as he really came on nicely by seasons end. Bell showed a great mix of mix of power and quickness and by the end of the year fully established himself as the Steelers’ featured back. He also was a threat out of the backfield as a receiver as well, hauling in 45 passes.

Dec 8, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) runs for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Heinz Field. The Dolphins won the game, 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Bell’s 860 rushing yards on the season and 1,259 yards in 13 games put him among the top in the league in total offense and set the Steelers’ all-purpose yardage record for rookies. But at the end of the day this team only finished 27th in the NFL in rushing. That has to be taken into account even though Bell’s future looks really bright. Grade: C+

Wide Receivers: Antonio Brown answered the question heading into the season of if the Steelers would miss Mike Wallace, as Brown emerged as Roethlisberger’s go-to guy all season long. His numbers were simply amazing with 110 receptions, 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns. Brown set records along the way and it will be interesting to see what type of year he has in 2014.

In addition to Brown, Jerricho Cotchery put together a very nice season and became a red-zone target with 10 touchdowns on the year. Emmanuel Sanders did some nice things but still struggles with consistency and Heath Miller never really got into a groove after returning from ACL surgery. Youngsters Markus Wheaton and Derek Moye were non-factors all season. Grade: B+

Offensive Line: Injuries hurt this offensive line from the very first drive of the season. Losing a guy like Maurkice Pouncey is never easy. Afterwards the Steelers struggled for weeks. Mike Adams was terrible at left tackle, prompting him to be benched after four weeks. But as bad as this Steelers line was through eight weeks, they played that well the final eight weeks of the season.

Roethlisberger was sacked only seven times in the final seven games, compared to a whopping 35 in Pittsburgh’s first nine games. The ground game also took off late in the season, which was a pleasant sight. Last year’s first-round selection David DeCastro emerged as one of the best guards in the NFL and once they settled on Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert at tackles, the line started to play very well.

I’m not entirely sold that this group should be the group heading forward, but they rebounded very nicely and dealt with a ton of injuries to end up having a decent finish to the season. Grade: C+