Steelers vs. Ravens: Pittsburgh Grades, Notes and Quotes

What an embarrassing loss.

With a chance to clinch a playoff spot by beating the Baltimore Ravens and hoping the New York Jets lost to the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell flat on their faces and opened the door for the Jets to get into the playoffs, falling to the Ravens 20-17 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ryan Mallett became the latest quarterback to carve up the Steelers secondary, throwing for 274 yards and a score while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. Javorius Allen rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries to give the Ravens offense some good balance against a defense that looked lost all day long.

As the defense couldn't seem to come up with an answer for Baltimore's dink-and-dunk passing game and sound zone-blocking running attack, the Steelers offense couldn't get out of its own way. Ben Roethlisberger threw two costly interceptions that led to 10 Baltimore points.

While the passing game couldn't get on track in this one, the offensive line dominated in the running game, opening up big creases for DeAngelo Williams to burst through. The veteran running back rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries.

Much like they have before under head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers played poorly against a lesser opponent, which continues to frustrate the masses. This loss isn't on Tomlin and the coaching staff but on the players who failed to execute in big spots.

That may not be what Steeler Nation wants to hear right now, but it's the truth.

Positional Grades for Pittsburgh

Associated Press

Quarterback: D

In a game with playoff implications on the line, Ben Roethlisberger turned in his worst performance to date, throwing for just 215 yards and two costly interceptions against the Ravens in a hostile environment.

The veteran quarterback came out strong, completing his first three passes, but from there he went into the tank as he tried to force throws into Antonio Brown far too often and just looked uncomfortable in the pocket.

Sunday was the worst time for his worst game of the year.

Running Back: A

DeAngelo Williams was terrific despite fans not being thrilled with the decision to pound the rock early.

The 32-year-old averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 17 carries (100 yards) and added two second-half touchdowns to pace the Steelers offense, but it was too little, too late for Pittsburgh.

Williams did add six receptions for 53 yards out of the backfield, but in big spots the Steelers went away from what was working, and it ultimately cost them.

Wide Receivers: C-

Much like Roethlisberger, the receiving corps had a poor day against the Ravens, whom they should have carved up.

Brown failed to establish control inbounds on a great throw from Roethlisberger in the second quarter, which forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal. Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant were mere afterthoughts in the loss, failing to come up with big plays to take some pressure off Brown.

Tight Ends: C

Heath Miller turned in a solid performance through the air, hauling in five passes for 49 yards on six targets in the loss, with three coming late in the fourth quarter.

Along with Miller, Jesse James added one catch for three yards, but the standout play for James was his impressive hustle on Jimmy Smith's negated 100-yard interception return. Guys like Brown, Wheaton and Roethlisberger simply stopped chasing Smith on the return, but the rookie James never stopped giving chase.

It means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but that will stand out to the coaches. I want that kind of player on my team.

Matt Spaeth took a foolish penalty following Williams' first touchdown and gave the Ravens good field position following the score, but fortunately for Spaeth it didn't come back to burn the Steelers.

Offensive Line: B-

This unit was strong when the Steelers decided to run the ball, but it was atrocious in pass protection.

Alejandro Villanueva struggled against Timmy Jernigan, Za'Darius Smith and Courtney Upshaw all day long and simply looked overmatched.

Cody Wallace had a tough time with Brandon Williams and Jernigan inside, and David DeCastro was put on skates numerous times in this game. The Ravens defense walked the Pro Bowler back into Roethlisberger's lap far too many times.

Defensive Line: C-

Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt had strong games overall, but at times they were burned by the Ravens' running game and rarely put pressure on Ryan Mallett.

Heyward and Tuitt each finished with six tackles, but they combined for just one tackle for loss (Heyward) and one quarterback hit (Tuitt.)

Steve McLendon was pretty much a no-show against the Ravens and had more of an impact in post-whistle scrums than against the run.

Linebackers: C

Yes, Kyle Juszczyk burned Ryan Shazier for 34 yards down the left sideline after he looked into the backfield to see if Mallett threw the ball, but the second-year linebacker was the best defender on the field all day for Pittsburgh, racking up 13 tackles and one tackle for loss.

He's still trying to find his way in coverage, but the 2014 first-round draft pick is stout against the run and is turning into a good player.

Lawrence Timmons recorded eight tackles for Pittsburgh and looked good while ranging sideline to sideline.

What drops this grade is the outside linebacking corps, which once again failed to generate any type of pass rush.

James Harrison (five tackles), Jarvis Jones (two tackles, one pass breakup), Arthur Moats (two tackles) and Bud Dupree (one tackle) combined for 10 tackles in the loss and just two quarterback hits.

That's not good enough any week of the season.

Defensive Backs: D

If I could post a picture here, it would be an image of burnt toast.

Mallett diced up the Pittsburgh secondary, as William Gay, Ross Cockrell, Will Allen and Mike Mitchell had rough outings.

Brandon Boykin did record a sack in the loss and played well in the slot, but his performance wasn't enough to make up for the poor coverage all game long.

Mitchell has been playing with one arm for roughly two-and-a-half weeks and had to leave this game multiple times because he was in so much pain, but it doesn't excuse the rest of the secondary and its poor play.

Special Teams: A

Chris Boswell (2-of-2 on extra-point attempts, 1-of-1 on field goals) had a strong day, as did Jordan Berry (three punts, 131 yards, 43.7-yard average). The special teams weren't a problem at all for Pittsburgh and have seemingly turned into a strength late in the year.

WIlliams Solid on Ground, Through Air

Associated Press

For the second time in his career and second time this season, DeAngelo Williams recorded 100 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards as a dynamic dual-threat running back for the Steelers.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: what a terrific pickup Williams was this offseason.

He's been as good as (possibly even better than) Le'Veon Bell in this offense.

After rushing for 80 yards on eight carries in the first quarter, Williams was held to just 20 yards and two scores on nine carries as the Steelers moved away from the running game in an attempt to get back in the game.

Miller Keeps Streak Alive

Associated Press

He'll go down without question as the greatest tight end in franchise history, but he keeps racking up numbers.

After hauling in five passes for 49 yards, Heath Miller now has 500 receiving yards this season, marking the ninth straight year he's eclipsed that mark.

That streak of nine years puts him alongside Hines Ward (12 years) as the Steelers receivers with the longest such streaks in franchise history.

Roethlisberger Harsh on Himself

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Ben Roethlisberger knew that the Steelers had a prime opportunity on the road against Baltimore, and he knows that the team—with him playing a major part—squandered the chance to clinch a playoff spot and control its own destiny.

Turning in his worst performance in recent memory, Roethlisberger threw for just 215 yards and two interceptions in the loss while also taking three sacks.

Following the loss, he had this to say to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review: "We controlled our own destiny, and we blew it today. We gave the ball away, and you can’t do that. I can’t do that."

That about sums it up.