Steelers vs. Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bengals squandered a golden opportunity to pull away from the AFC North Sunday with a 42-21 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Things were great for the Bengals until an Andy Dalton turnover led to a 25-point outburst from the Steelers in the final quarter. Before that, wideout A.J. Green was an unstoppable force and the defense was turning in quality work.

It all came crashing down, though. Repetitive blown coverages by the Cincinnati secondary permitted Pittsburgh to hang around. As the game wore on, sloppy tackling and poor execution on the offensive side of things ensured the Bengals would fall behind and never recover.

Cincinnati will still keep a lead in the AFC North, but Sunday was far from the ideal performance for the team as it heads into a brutal stretch to close the season.

Within, let's dish out grades for each positional unit based on performance not just in a statistical sense, but in an overall sense in how each piece played a role in the critical loss.

Quarterback: B

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Andy Dalton bounced back from a miserable showing last weekend in Tampa Bay with a great performance in the first half against Pittsburgh. 

As the teams went to the break, he had a quarterback rating of 127.1. One touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham and plenty of strong passes to A.J. Green produced the impressive total.

Dalton also looked crisp on the ground, as ESPN.com's Coley Harvey points out: 

"

That looked like the old TCU Andy Dalton. Good mobility on the zone read. Perfect read by him. 20-yd TD run puts #Bengals up 14-7

— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) December 7, 2014"

Things regressed, though, as the TCU product contributed to a fumble on a read-option that led to the team's collapse. Dalton finished with a 21-of-29 mark for 302 yards and three total touchdowns on the day. 

Really, it was a strong showing from Dalton. That turnover certainly weighs heavy in overshadowing it. 

Grade: B

Running Back: C

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Jeremy Hill once again led the charge for Cincinnati backs Sunday against Pittsburgh. 

The rookie was efficient in the face of a stiff defense, rushing for 46 yards on just eight attempts. Giovani Bernard was used sparingly in the first half and found his way to six carries for 17 yards by day's end.

As great as Hill was, he was also the other culprit in the aforementioned fumble, as Richard Skinner of Cincinnati.com details:

"

#Bengals try to run option, but Dalton tries to pull it out of Hill's belly ball hits his butt, Dalton fumbles and Steelers recover

— Richard Skinner (@nkyskinner) December 7, 2014"

It is hard to crush the duo too much from a stat standpoint when the staff does not give them more opportunities. The turnover and Bernard's struggles for efficiency once again kill the grade, though. 

Until the staff commits to more usage from Hill and more creativity with Bernard, performances such as this against strong defenses seem inevitable.

Grade: C

Wide Receiver and Tight End: A

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

A.J. Green was in elite form Sunday. 

The Cincinnati wideout posted seven catches for 104 yards—by halftime.

As ESPN.com's Coley Harvey illustrates, Green was a critical factor in the team moving the ball:

"

Now that's a big play. A.J. Green spoke this week about making big plays this time of year. A 43-yard pass puts #Bengals in red zone

— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) December 7, 2014"

That catch eventually led to a Jermaine Gresham touchdown in the first half. 

Speaking of Gresham, it was an up-and-down day, as Richard Skinner of Cincinnati.com details:

"

Surprise! #Bengals forced to take timeout on offense. Looked like Gresham lined up wrong. Shocking, just shocking.

— Richard Skinner (@nkyskinner) December 7, 2014"

Gresham did catch the touchdown pass, but he was also hit with two costly flags in the first half. He wound up with three catches for 23 yards and a score. Of course, Green led the way with 11 grabs for 224 yards and a score. 

Chalk that up as a career high in yardage for Green, who led the best overall unit for the Bengals Sunday.

Grade: A

Offensive Line: B

USA TODAY Sports

With guard Clint Boling starting at right tackle, the offensive trenches were pretty solid Sunday for the Bengals. 

There were few flags to speak of in the first half, although rookie center Russell Bodine did get hit with a false start. That said, Andy Dalton wound up sacked just twice, and the team as a whole rushed for 86 yards and a score on a 4.1 per-carry average.

Things were far from perfect. Dalton made numerous throws from under pressure, and backs made their own headway in the stats department despite poor blocking at times.

Still, the line rose to the occasion more often than not and was far from the only scapegoat on the day for an offense that was statistically productive but strangely odd from a strategy standpoint.

With the team using a backup and guard at right tackle in place of Andre Smith, things could have gone much worse against a defense such as Pittsburgh's.

Grade: B

Defensive Line: B

John Grieshop/Getty Images

Sunday, the Bengals had their usual troubles bringing down Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger was not sacked on the day, escaping the grasp of names such as Carlos Dunlap numerous times. There was quality pressure, though, as a Wallace Gilberry sack was negated by a flag near the end of the second quarter. 

So it goes against Big Ben.

Geno Atkins was once again in elite form, doing things that do not show up on the stat sheet such as blowing up running lanes. The same can be said for Carlos Dunlap, who was once again doing plenty of work in the passing lanes department.

ESPN's Matt Williamson put it best in regard to Atkins:

"

Geno Atkins is a wrecking machine today…great to see him getting back to dominant form

— Matt Williamson (@WilliamsonNFL) December 7, 2014"

The line was the bright spot for the Bengals defense, as Gilberry showed signs of life after weeks of being invisible. The play of Dunlap and Atkins is a great sign, although actually getting Big Ben to the ground a few times would have been nice to see.

Grade: B

Linebacker: C

John Grieshop/Getty Images

Vincent Rey was the leader of the Cincinnati defense Sunday. 

Rey was all over the place against Pittsburgh, playing quality coverage and getting in on plenty of tackles. The Duke product had nine total tackles in the first half alone.

Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group describes just one great play:

"

#Bengals bring pressure on third down again, Vinny Rey with PBU and near pick.

— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) December 7, 2014"

Rey finished with 15 total tackles to lead the team. Rey Maualuga was not far off with eight, although his day was a tad quieter than he has been in recent weeks. 

The only issue came in the fourth quarter—as it did for most of the team. There, the unit began to struggle with tackles once again, an odd, untimely occurrence all things considered. The bad quarter cost the team the game, but it is hard to go much lower given the fact the unit was once again without its best player, Vontaze Burfict. 

Grade: C

Secondary: D

Frank Victores/Associated Press

The Cincinnati corners showed their age Sunday. 

Leon Hall was hit with a costly flag in the first half. Most of all, though, Terence Newman was no match for quick Pittsburgh receivers such as Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant.

ESPN.com's Coley Harvey provides just one account of the veteran's struggles:

"

Bad angle on the tackle attempt by Terence Newman there. If he's able to stand Brown up, he might have kept him short of a first down.

— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) December 7, 2014"

Newman finished with seven tackles as a strong helper against the rush. In that regard, Reggie Nelson (four tackles) and George Iloka (six) showed well, too.

Still, the struggles are hard to ignore. If it devolves into a trend, one has to think the staff will need to show more faith in younger corners such as Dre Kirkpatrick. Newman was downright abused all game long, while Hall gave up the major 94-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

A date with Denver is only a few weeks away. Play such as this will make for a rather lopsided encounter, just like Sunday.

Grade: D

Special Teams: B

STEVE NESIUS/Associated Press

Barring a strange decision from the coaching staff and a lone mistake, Sunday was a basic day at the office for the Cincinnati special teams. 

First, the strange decision, explained by Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com:

"

#Bengals go with the fake punt and are stopped short at the 40. #MarvinSecondGuessingBegins

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 7, 2014"

With that out of the way, Kevin Huber once again put on a show with seven punts for 322 yards. He pinned Pittsburgh back inside its own 20-yard line just once, though, and it should be noted he had an ugly shank late in the game.

Mike Nugent was never called upon, while Adam Jones and Brandon Tate were silent on returns. A single mistake from Huber, who has been the most consistent player on the team all season, is forgivable.

Grade: B

Coaching: C

Frank Victores/Associated Press

It is hard to fault the Cincinnati coaching staff for aggression. 

One facet of observers will hate risks such as a fake punt or wildcat look. Others love it for the gamble aspect as a sign that the staff wants to remain aggressive and creative.

Regardless, the staff failed on most of its gambles Sunday against Pittsburgh. Furthermore, offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was strange at times in his approach and his usage of Giovani Bernard (six rushes and five targets).

The fact Marvin Lewis' team once again fell apart late in a critical game after just one turnover suggests something is just off in the locker room at this point.

Whatever it is, the window to fix these issues is rapidly slamming shut.

Grade: C

Final Grades

John Grieshop/Getty Images

Positional Unit	Overall Grade
QB	B
RB	C
WR/TE	A
OL	B
DL	B
LB	C
Secondary	D
Special Teams	B
Coaching	C
Cumulative Grade	C

The Bengals do not have a lot of time to figure this thing out.

Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com puts things into perspective:

"

#Bengals have now let two AFC North opponents come into their house and win by 20+. Quite a change from recent years.

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 7, 2014"

It is one thing to lose to Cleveland or Pittsburgh. It is another to get blown away by both with a three-game road winning streak sandwiched in between. AFC North showdowns are where the Bengals are supposed to shine brightest just based on downright familiarity with the opposition.

The Bengals finish against Cleveland, Denver and Pittsburgh, the middle contest being a prime-time affair. If the Bengals cannot show some fight after this disastrous outing, playoff talk will turn to draft chatter in a hurry.

All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com as of 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 7 unless otherwise specified.