Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card Roundup Against Baltimore Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers extended their season into January after going 4-0 in the month of December, but it all came to an end on Saturday night as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Black and Gold 30-17 at Heinz Field.

Veteran linebacker James Harrison told Mike Prisuta of steelers.com, “They played a better game than we did. They made big plays and we weren’t able to get off the field when it counted. Give them credit. They played better than we did.”.

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One of the highlights for Pittsburgh fans was Antonio Brown leading all receivers in the contest as he was targeted 14 times and had nine receptions for 117 yards. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Miami, Florida native had a score taken off the board on a review in the loss to Baltimore. He was named the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.

Another high point was rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant, who showed that he belonged with five catches for 61 yards and one touchdown. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound Clemson product was targeted nine times during the evening.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Ravens are the first team since 1990 under the current playoff format to win three Wild Card contests as the No. 6 seed. They are a perfect 3-0 in those games. Baltimore has won 10 road matchups in the playoffs, which ties them with the Green Bay Packers for the most in NFL history.

Before we put away our Terrible Towels till training camp, it is time for one last roundup of grades that the experts gave Pittsburgh for their efforts against Baltimore.

Behind The Steel Curtain / SBNation – Neal Coolong thought the performance of offensive linemen Marcus Gilbert and Maurkice Pouncey was disappointing.

Bleacher Report – Mike Batista awarded the defensive line a B- as rookie Stephon Tuitt recovered a Justin Forsett fumble in the fourth quarter for the Steelers only takeaway of the contest.

FirstStopFantasy.com – The staff at FirstStop presented the special team units an A as they did everything asked of them.

NFL.com – Chris Wesseling did not like that Dick LeBeau‘s defense could not get off the field on key third downs. The play of the secondary overall was lamentable.

Pittsburgh Sporting News – Matt Shetler gave quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a C- as his performance on the night was just not enough.

Post-Gazette – Gerry Dulac was disappointed by the coaching as he gave them a D because they seemed to be baffled by Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak’s game plan.

Steelers Depot – Dave Bryan was impressed with rookie Ryan Shazier‘s speed as his forced fumble gave the team new life.

It is your turn to grade the Steelers against the Ravens. Can they make another run next season? Let me know in the comments section below.

Up Next: With the loss on Saturday, the Steelers will be selecting in the 22nd slot in the 2015 National Football League Draft. It will be held on April 30 to May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre Of Roosevelt University in Chicago, and broadcast on ESPN and the NFL Network.

From The Clipboard: Pittsburgh signed seven players on Monday to Reserve/Future contracts. The magnificent crew are tight end Rob Blanchflower, cornerback Kevin Fogg, wide receiver C.J. Goodwin, defensive end Ethan Hemer, linebacker Howard Jones, defensive lineman Joe Kruger and offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva. All of whom ended the 2014 campaign on the Steelers’ practice squad.

Here is the rundown of the Steelers’ 14 free agents in the offseason. The new league year begins 4 p.m. ET on March 10, and unrestricted free agents hit the open market at that point.

Listed as unrestricted: linebackers Jason Worilds, James Harrison, and Arthur Moats; defensive backs Brice McCain, Ike Taylor, and Will Allen, wide receiver Darrius Hwyard-Bey; tight ends Matt Spaeth and Michael Palmer; running back Ben Tate; and long-snapper Greg Warren.

Listed as restricted: cornerback Antwon Blake, fullback Will Johnson, and safety Grobert Golden.

Next: Just A Minute: Pittsburgh Steelers Wasting Back End of Ben Roethlisberger Era