Colts vs. Steelers: Full Report Card Grades for Indianapolis
In one word, the Indianapolis Colts' 51-34 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was ugly.
Colts fans knew that it was going to be a long day when Andrew Luck threw a pick-six in the second quarter to give the Steelers an early 21-3 lead. Things got worse after a couple of touchdowns from Ben Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown, but the Colts had some hope after cutting the lead to 35-20 before halftime.
The Steelers didn't slow down in the second half, scoring on their opening drive. By the end of the game, the offense had put up 639 total yards, including 522 through the air. Roethlisberger had the game of his life, throwing for six touchdowns and a 150.6 passer rating.
Luck tried to keep the Colts in the game, throwing three touchdowns and more than a few passes of at least 20 yards. T.Y. Hilton was on the receiving end of a lot of them, but rookie Donte Moncrief had the first big game of his NFL career.
The two interceptions from Luck were costly, but the entire team should have played better against a Steelers team that has looked pretty average so far this season. The offense is still putting up points, but the defense has some questions to answer.
Having said that, here are the complete report card grades from Sunday's loss.
Quarterback
1 of 10
There were some pretty ugly plays in the first half from Luck, but a lot of that was because of pressure. His interception that was returned for a touchdown, however, was mostly on him.
Still, as Luck usually does, he made adjustments, including trying to expose the secondary deep. Luck looked deep down the field multiple times in the first half, finding Hilton on a few big plays. At halftime, he had completed 14 of 23 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns and that pick-six.
Luck continued to try to keep his team in the game, but in the end he couldn't do enough. He gave one last heave late in the fourth quarter to Hilton, but it wound up being interception. The numbers were great with 400 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, but they could have been better had he not constantly been under pressure.
Things would have been much different if the defense had held, because Luck was constantly making throws deep down the field trying to give his team another win.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
The running backs didn't get a lot of work in during the first half, mostly because the team was playing from behind. Ahmad Bradshaw ran the ball just four times for 12 yards but was able to add another 33 on five receptions.
With Trent Richardson active but not playing, Daniel Herron still didn't get much work in early, getting just two total touches for seven yards in the first two quarters.
Bradshaw ended up running the ball just two more times, finishing with 35 yards along with a 12-yard touchdown. The Colts continued to use him in the passing game as well, catching seven passes for 52 yards.
The running backs didn't get a lot of work with the team playing from behind for most of the game, but Bradshaw's aggressive nature and ability to get past defenders is pretty fun to watch when the Colts give him touches.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
T.Y. Hilton got off to another hot start with a 45-yard catch on the first drive of the game, eluding defenders and running down the sideline. Like he's been doing the past few weeks, Hilton continued to make huge plays, finishing the day with 155 yards and a touchdown on only six receptions.
Starting in place of Reggie Wayne, Hakeem Nicks continued to look like he wasn't on the same page with Luck. The two couldn't connect on multiple targets, including a ball that was returned by William Gay for a defensive touchdown. He made a great catch near the end of the first half on a 3rd-and-long, but it was still a rough game overall.
Rookie Donte Moncrief had a breakout game with his first real action, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. If Nicks can't produce, then the Colts should consider finding ways to get Moncrief more involved in the offense.
Dwayne Allen continues to look like a legitimate Pro Bowl candidate, making a great catch for a 21-yard touchdown in the second quarter. That was his only catch in the game, but with six touchdowns on the year and a knack for blocking in the run game, Allen deserves some national attention.
While it won't show up on the stat sheet, Coby Fleener made a very nice block on the 28-yard touchdown to Hilton, throwing Lawrence Timmons off balance to give Luck enough time to make the throw.
Without Wayne, the Colts were still able to produce. It would have been nice to see Nicks do more, but Moncrief was able to step up in his place.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Even though they gave up just one sack in the first half, the offensive line was simply unable to contain the Steelers, who constantly put pressure on Luck. Gosder Cherilus struggled in particular, unable to stay in front of defenders. Things didn't get any better in the second half, as Cherilus couldn't keep pass-rushers in front of him.
Things looked a bit better on the team's final drive before halftime, giving Luck a good amount of time on each play to look deep down the field and help the Colts add a field goal before heading to the locker room.
The protection didn't stay consistent, unfortunately, with the pressure on Luck returning in the second half. He ended up being sacked two times, and there were several more plays where Luck didn't have the time he needed to throw.
Both offensive tackles struggled, and that has to change if the offense is going to be able to put up points before going down big in games.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Even with Arthur Jones back, the defensive line got worked in the first half, failing to generate pressure on Roethlisberger while still giving up 4.3 yards per carry on the ground. Cory Redding did his best to make some plays, including a couple of stops to force 3rd-and-longs early on, but the Steelers were still able to convert.
Pittsburgh wasn't as effective running the ball in the second half, however. They ran for 117 yards in the game, but it took 32 carries to do so. Le'Veon Bell averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, so the Colts were at least able to contain the ground game.
But that doesn't matter much considering how effective the Steelers were in the passing game. Roethlisberger had all the time in the world, and the defensive linemen could do little to rush Big Ben throughout the game.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
It wasn't a pretty day for the linebackers, with all of them struggling to get to the quarterback and injuries making things even more difficult.
Andy Studebaker deserves a lot of credit for stepping in for an injured Erik Walden and making a big play when they needed it. In the fourth quarter with the Steelers near the goal line, he stripped LeGarrette Blount and gave the Colts the ball back with a chance to tie.
Bad angles and slow linebackers made it hard to cover the short passing game, resulting in a lot of third-down conversions that had been so rare against this defense in the past. Bjoern Werner was almost nonexistent in the pass rush, struggling to get near Roethlisberger.
Jonathan Newsome made a handful of nice plays when subbed in, including a blocked pooch punt before halftime to help the Colts get great field position, but there wasn't much else to be impressed with from this unit.
The pass rush needed to step up with Vontae Davis out, but Roethlisberger wasn't sacked once. That makes it really hard on a secondary, so the linebackers have something to prove next week.
Grade: D+
Secondary
7 of 10
Vontae Davis showed everyone just how valuable he is to the Colts defense after getting hurt and sitting on the sideline for almost the entire game. Darius Butler struggled in particular, allowing big plays like a 52-yard gain after getting burned by Martavis Bryant in the second quarter.
After a terrific catch from Antonio Brown put the Steelers up 28-10, the secondary had allowed Ben Roethlisberger to complete 14 of 16 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns midway through the second quarter. He didn't stop either, adding another score on the very first drive of the second half.
By the end of the game, Big Ben had put up video game numbers. He went 40-for-49 with 522 yards and six touchdowns, by far the most productive game of his career. Butler, Josh Gordy and Greg Toler couldn't do anything against the speedy Pittsburgh receivers, allowing them to get open consistently.
The safeties weren't able to do much either, constantly giving up deep plays. Mike Adams made a couple of nice tackles, but both him and Sergio Brown deserve some share of the blame for the awful pass defense. This unit doesn't get an "F" since Davis was out, but that's probably the only reason.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Adam Vinatieri remained perfect for the season on field-goal attempts, making both of his tries from a very short distance. He also became the first kicker in NFL history two make 200 field goals with two different teams, making him an easy choice for the Hall of Fame down the road.
Pat McAfee continued to do what he does best: Punt the ball really far. He averaged 51 yards on his three punts, including a 59-yarder.
The special teams did its job, but it can only do so much in a shootout like this game.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
This was the kind of game the Colts were supposed to be built for, taking on tough, physical teams by running the ball and stopping the run. While the passing game was efficient in the first half, the Colts still only ran five times—not including Luck's two scrambles—in the first half.
The Colts called just two more run plays for the game, and it's understandable to a degree with Richardson out, but Bradshaw was making plays when he had the ball, picking up 87 total yards on just 13 touches.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky wasn't able to call as many blitzes Sunday, and that was a problem when trying to contain the passing game. The defense could generate almost no pressure, and Manusky couldn't make the necessary adjustments.
This season, the coaching staff has done a good job keeping up the intensity, so hopefully they can rally the troops to give the Colts a win before their bye week.
Grade: C+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | B+ |
| WR/TE | A- |
| OL | D |
| DL | C |
| LB | D+ |
| Secondary | D- |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | C+ |
| Cumulative Grade | C- |
This was a game where the Colts just couldn't put it all together, with bad plays all around. Starters like Wayne, Richardson, Walden and Davis were missed quite badly, with both sides of the football looking out of sync at times.
The good news is that games like this are bound to happen throughout a season. It wasn't pretty, but this isn't the end of the world for the Colts. The offense still has more than enough weapons around Luck, and the AFC South is the gift that keeps on giving, all but ensuring them a spot in the postseason.
It won't be a guaranteed win next week against the New York Giants, but if they can head into the bye week with a win, they'll have some momentum and be well-rested before a big AFC showdown against the New England Patriots.
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