Colts vs. Steelers: Full Report-Card Grades for Pittsburgh
Most of the pregame hype surrounded Andrew Luck, but Ben Roethlisberger reminded everyone that he's a pretty good quarterback, too.
Roethlisberger set Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records with six touchdown passes, 40 completed passes and 522 passing yards to lead the Steelers to a 51-34 win over the Colts Sunday at Heinz Field.
Finally, the Steelers offense carried a defense that's still trying to find its way. The Steelers broke the 50-point barrier for the first time in almost 30 years. The last time they did it, they beat the San Diego Chargers 52-24 on Nov. 25, 1984. The Steelers also generated 639 yards of offense, their most in a non-overtime game since they put up 683 in a 38-21 win over the Chicago Cardinals in 1958 at Pitt Stadium.
The Steelers took a 35-10 lead when Antonio Brown caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger with 5:21 left in the first half.
But if Brian Hoyer can wipe out a 24-point deficit at Heinz Field, the Steelers had no reason to feel safe against Andrew Luck.
Sure enough, the Colts pulled to within 35-20 at halftime. The Steelers regained the momentum by scoring on a 10-play, 80-yard drive to open the second half. Martavis Bryant's two-yard touchdown catch from Roethlisberger made it 42-20.
Luck and the Colts weren't finished, though. They chopped the Steelers' lead to 42-34 by the end of the third quarter. It wasn't really the Steelers who stopped them, it was themselves. With 12:38 left in the game, Luck fell on his backside in the Colts end zone and intentionally grounded the ball, which gave the Steelers a safety.
The Steelers took the ensuing free kick and drove 67 yards on 12 plays for the clinching touchdown.
Indianapolis (5-3) had won five in a row entering Sunday's game. The Steelers (5-3) beat an AFC power and won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Now they have some momentum as they prepare for next Sunday's showdown against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.
As important as Sunday's win was, however, the Steelers will lose a lot of the wind from their sails if they fall to the Ravens for the second time this season.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Not counting playoffs, this was the best performance ever by a Steelers quarterback.
Ben Roethlisberger became the first NFL quarterback ever with more than one 500-yard passing game, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and his 522 passing yards are tied for the fourth-most all-time, according to Pro Football Reference.
Nine different receivers shared in Roethlisberger's franchise-record 40 completions, and his franchise-record six touchdown passes gives him 16 at the midway point of the season. That puts him on pace to tie his career high of 32, which he set in 2007.
Roethlisberger didn't throw an interception and has thrown just one in the last six games. The one he did throw should have been overturned. Roethlisberger also wasn't sacked. If he's going to take some of the blame for getting sacked, he should get some of the credit when he's not sacked.
The Steelers converted eight of their 13 third downs against a team that allowed just four conversions on the last 41 attempts against them entering the game. Pittsburgh's 34 first downs are the third-most in team history, according to Ken Laird of TribLive Radio.
"The #Steelers had 34 first-downs today, 3rd highest in a game in team history & most since Nov 25th 1979 v Cleveland (36)
— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) October 27, 2014"
Roethlisberger's quarterback rating for Sunday's game was 150.6. It's the first time he's rated higher than 150 since 2007.
Grade: A+
Running Backs
2 of 10
Once again, Le'Veon Bell was a receiver just as much as he was a running back.
Bell caught six passes for 56 yards and ran the ball 24 times for 92 yards. Every week he accomplishes something that no other Steelers running back has accomplished, except maybe Franco Harris or Jerome Bettis.
Ken Laird of TribLive radio points out this week's additions to Bell's resume.
"Le'Veon Bell 1,087 all purpose yards thru 1st 8 games most in #Steelers history (Foster '92 w/ 987) & 1st for Pgh w/ 100+ in first 8 games
— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) October 27, 2014"
"Le'Veon also w/ a 10+ yard carry in 10 straight games dating to Dec 2013, 1st such streak for the #Steelers since Bettis 11 straight '01-'02
— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) October 27, 2014"
Bell averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, but he ran the ball five times for 36 yards on the Steelers' final drive to help them grind out the clock.
The only blemish on the running backs' grade is LeGarrette Blount's fumble deep in Colts territory with the Colts behind by just eight points early in the fourth quarter.
Grade: B
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
Antonio Brown led the way with 10 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He has 60 catches for 852 yards and seven touchdowns at the midpoint of the season. At this point, he'll shatter the career highs he set last season (110/1,499/eight).
Ken Laird of TribLive Radio put a different spin on Brown's streak of 24 games with at least five catches and 50 yards.
"Antonio Brown w/ 5 catches & 80+ yards in the 1st 8 games of a season, the 2nd player in NFL history to do so (Michael Irvin 9 straight '95)
— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) October 27, 2014"
Brown wasn't needed, however, on the Steelers' first scoring drive. Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant and Heath Miller caught all the passes on a nine-play, 80-yard possession that ended with Ben Roethlisberger's 18-yard touchdown pass to Wheaton.
Bryant had two red-zone touchdown catches in the game and also caught a 52-yard pass. He and Wheaton both took a big step forward in their development with five receptions.
The Steelers put their red-zone woes behind them with five touchdowns in their six trips inside the 20.
Heath Miller bounced back from last week's one-reception performance with seven catches for 112 yards. He caught a 49-yard pass on third down during the Steelers' first possession of the second half. That led to a critical touchdown that increased the Steelers' lead to 42-20 after the Colts had scored the last 10 points of the first half.
There wasn't much negative here except for Darrius Heyward-Bey's fumble in Steelers territory and Bryant's drop.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
For the first time this year, Ben Roethlisberger wasn't sacked. The quarterback owes Kelvin Beachum, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Mike Adams a steak dinner for their role in his historic evening.
Only one Colt was even credited with a hit on Roethlisberger by ESPN.com. Roethlisberger had plenty of time to throw for most of the game. Mike Adams, maligned for his struggles last season, seamlessly filled in for Marcus Gilbert at right tackle after replacing him last week.
The Steelers ran for 117 yards but averaged just 3.7 per carry. It mattered little, because this wasn't a ground-and-pound kind of game for the Steelers.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Brett Keisel continues to defy age. The 36-year-old broke up a pass and frequently put pressure on Andrew Luck.
Cameron Heyward also broke up a pass and would have had a sack if it weren't for offsetting penalties.
The Colts ran the ball just 10 times for 63 yards because they were down 25 before halftime. But Ahmad Bradshaw evaded tackles throughout the Steelers defense for a 12-yard touchdown run that narrowed the Steelers' lead to 42-27 in the third quarter.
The defensive line played a role in the game's most crucial play, helping to pressure Andrew Luck into an intentional-grounding penalty after he fell backward into the end zone. The Colts had just recovered a fumble and could have tied the game on that drive in the fourth quarter. Instead, the Steelers took a 44-34 lead and then scored after taking the free kick.
Grade: B-
Linebackers
6 of 10
James Harrison had his first sack since coming out of retirement. Jason Worilds applied a lot of the pressure that led to that sack and had three quarterback hits in the game, according to ESPN.com. Lawrence Timmons also hit Andrew Luck twice.
Ryan Shazier looked active in his first game since injuring his knee in Week 3 at Carolina, and Vince Williams was the Steelers' second-leading tackler with seven.
Still, the Steelers need more than one sack from their linebackers.
The defense allowed 448 yards, the most they've allowed since giving up 451 to Detroit in Week 11 last season. The Colts' 34 points were the most scored on the Steelers since the Dolphins scored that many in Week 14 last year.
Grade: C+
Defensive Backs
7 of 10
This is a mixed bag if there ever was one.
William Gay made the game a blowout (before the Colts rallied, at least) with a 33-yard pick-six that increased the Steelers' lead to 21-3. Gay also led the Steelers with eight total tackles.
Antwon Blake intercepted Andrew Luck in the end zone to prevent the Colts from pulling to within 10 with just under three minutes left in the game.
Troy Polamalu sacked Luck and forced a fumble. It was Polamalu's first sack and forced fumble of the season.
On the downside, Luck threw for 400 yards and, according to Scott Brown of ESPN.com, Cortez Allen was benched during the game, which is why Blake was in there.
"Mike Tomlin says he benched Cortez Allen for Antwon Blake because he was trying to win the game. Said he still believes in Allen.
— Scott Brown (@ScottBrown_ESPN) October 27, 2014"
Before Sunday, the Steelers hadn't allowed more than 307 passing yards in a game this season.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
LeGarrette Blount returned only one kickoff for 15 yards, falling short of the 20-yard line, in his first game since replacing Dri Archer as the Steelers' kickoff returner.
Antonio Brown averaged just 5.3 yards on three punt returns.
Brad Wing punted twice for an average of 44.5 yards. Shaun Suisham made a 30-yard field goal, but the Colts were offsides on the play. The Steelers had a first down and scored a touchdown on the next play.
Suisham wasn't needed for any other field-goal attempts, but he was in on a tackle.
Grade: C+
Coaching
9 of 10
The cries to fire Todd Haley should subside at least for a week. Ben Roethlisberger looked like a Hall of Fame quarterback. Antonio Brown was Antonio Brown. Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton looked like decent draft picks.
It all added up to more than enough points to overcome Andrew Luck's season-high 400 passing yards.
For the second straight week, the Steelers attacked the defense with deep throws and involving Bryant was again a good idea. They stayed aggressive in the second half, scoring on their first possession to make the score 42-20. Roethlisberger attempted 49 passes in the game. It turned out that the Steelers couldn't afford to take their foot off the gas pedal against the high-octane Colts offense.
The Steelers led 44-34 with 5:21 left in the game and faced fourth down and less than a yard from the Colts' 11-yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal, the Steelers went for it. Ben Roethlisberger rolled out and threw a touchdown pass to Heath Miller.
Jeff Hathhorn of CBS Pittsburgh had a little something from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin about that play call.
"Tomlin on going for it 4th & 1 "I'm not kicking a FG right there & have them put 2 TD on the board. Not taking our foot off the gas."
— Jeff Hathhorn (@jhathhorn) October 27, 2014"
On defense, the Steelers seemed to blitz more than they have in any game this season. It yielded just two sacks, but they needed to put pressure on Luck.
The Steelers had cut down on their penalties in the previous three games, but they committed 10 Sunday for 59 yards.
Overall, the coaching staff successfully prepared the team for arguably its toughest opponent of the season on a short week.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | A+ |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | A |
| DL | B- |
| LB | C+ |
| DB | B- |
| Special Teams | C+ |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
The Steelers couldn't have asked for a better night of offense. But they fall short of an "A" because the defense allowed 34 points and 448 yards, even if it was against Andrew Luck.
For a change, the Steelers won a game they weren't expected to win. There have been too many times in recent years when they've lost games they weren't supposed to lose. Their win at Carolina in Week 3 seemed like a statement game, but the Panthers have meandered to 3-4-1, so that win has been cheapened since then.
The Colts didn't quit after falling behind by 25 on Sunday. This is a team the Steelers could see again, and this victory likely will look just as good at the end of the season as it does now.
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