Bengals vs. Steelers: Full Report Card Grades for Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Bengals will limp to the postseason after a 27-17 humbling at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football in what was the AFC North title game.
It seems months ago—not a mere week—that the Bengals took care of business against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Marvin Lewis' team was flat from the start and wound up losing both tight end Jermaine Gresham and A.J. Green to injury in the process.
The defense once again struggled with pressure and tackling, allowing Ben Roethlisberger to throw for 317 yards and two scores. Andy Dalton was erratic once more while throwing two interceptions, and even the special teams were off, allowing a punt-return touchdown.
Within are grades for each positional unit based on performance—not just in a statistical sense but also in an overall sense in how each piece played a role in the loss.
Quarterback: C
1 of 10
Cincinnati found its most offensive success in the first half on the ground Sunday night for good reason.
Quarterback Andy Dalton was simply off yet again, this time throwing a pair of ugly first-half interceptions. Jay Morrison of Cox Media Group explains the first:
"Dalton and A.J. on different pages. A.J. cuts off route, and McCain picks off Dalton at the Steelers 4. #Bengals
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) December 29, 2014"
The second was more of the same as Dalton shot a routine pass over Green's head.
Dalton put on one very strong drive in the second half and finished with a 27-of-38 mark for 244 yards and two scores.
While great when he was able to extend plays with his feet, Dalton's positive moments were few and far between.
Grade: C
Running Back: A
2 of 10
After plenty of success from an average standpoint against Pittsburgh the first time around, Jeremy Hill was back at it again Sunday night.
Hill rushed for 100 yards on a 4.3 per-carry average.
Complement Giovani Bernard also got in on the action with seven receptions for 56 yards and a score. Richard Skinner of Cincinnati.com breaks down the scoring play:
"Give Dalton credit with scrambling flip to Bernard and Bernard with great move to leap into end zone for TD. 7-7 tie with 2:43 left in 1stQ
— Richard Skinner (@nkyskinner) December 29, 2014"
Both backs played well in the roles envisioned by the staff. Bigger issues prevented the team from winning.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End: B
3 of 10
This is going to sound quite familiar to last week's explanation for the wideouts against Denver.
With Dalton struggling under center, there is only so much A.J. Green and other weapons can do through the air.
One can make an argument that Green should have brought in both of Dalton's first-half interceptions, but after so many games together, he can be forgiven for anticipating routine plays to come with routine passes.
In all, Green finished with eight catches for 82 yards. Brandon Tate came up with a big grab on fourth down. Jermaine Gresham caught three passes for 20 yards and a score but missed a large chunk of time in the first half with an injury.
A gritty performance by Gresham is noteworthy given how big his role in the offense has been as of late, although Green once again struggled in a big game with a costly late fumble.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line: C
4 of 10
One week removed from a great performance in part due to a boost by Eric Winston, the Cincinnati offensive line looked lost Sunday night.
Whether it was the crowd noise or some other factor, the line put on a rough performance in terms of keeping Dalton upright.
The Steelers sacked Dalton twice in the first half, including a miserable showing by rookie center Russell Bodine on the first, as Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com details:
"Russell Bodine just got whipped by Cam Heyward
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) December 29, 2014"
Dalton was sacked three times by the end of the night, although there were plenty of instances in which he was flushed out of the pocket.
After a strong showing against Denver, the line was a disappointment.
Grade: C
Defensive Line: C
5 of 10
Carlos Dunlap and the Cincinnati defensive line reverted to weakness status Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
Ben Roethlisberger had all day to throw after most snaps on his way to 317 passing yards and two scores. This lack of pressure by the down linemen meant even the extra bodies in coverage were eventually exploited by players such as Antonio Brown.
In fact, the lineman to most leave his mark for the third game in a row was end Wallace Gilberry, as ESPN.com's Coley Harvey helps to explain:
"Wallace Gilberry, the latest with the flu, just recovered a fumble on the Steelers' 34. #Bengals with great field position again.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) December 29, 2014"
Dunlap finished with two tackles, one of them for a loss. Geno Atkins had a quiet day at the office with three tackles.
What the Bengals most need is for all of the line players to have a great performance at once. That certainly did not happen Sunday.
Grade: C
Linebacker: B
6 of 10
Missed tackles are once again a conversation starter when it comes to the Cincinnati linebackers after the unit's performance Sunday night.
Not only that, but Vincent Rey and Co. seemed to struggle with other fundamentals, too, as Joe Reedy of Fox Sports Ohio points out:
"Facing Bell is tough enough but even worse when you take the wrong angle on a screen like Vinny Rey did.
— Joe Reedy (@joereedy) December 29, 2014"
Rey stuffed the stat sheet with seven total tackles, but errors such as the above do not show up on the sheet. Rey Maualuga put on a decent performance en route to six tackles, although he should have been hit with a few flags. Emmanuel Lamur was quiet with two tackles.
The linebackers will not face a back such as Le'Veon Bell each week, but things need not to be so ho-hum in the postseason.
Grade: B
Secondary: C
7 of 10
Overall, the Cincinnati secondary put on a mediocre performance Sunday.
An ineffective rush up front did not help Leon Hall, Dre Kirkpatrick and others, as it meant more time in coverage and time for Antonio Brown and others to get open.
Hall was actually a bit of a weak point for the second week in a row, including a miserable flag in the second half. Kirkpatrick put on another mostly strong showing with increased playing time, too.
Bleacher Report's Andrea Hangst puts it best concerning Kirkpatrick:
"Dre Kirkpatrick has really come on in his second season. Was a major question mark heading into 2014. Nice job.
— Andrea Hangst (@FBALL_Andrea) December 29, 2014"
Things did take a turn for the worse late in the game as Kirkpatrick was burned for a major touchdown, but that is more on poor coaching than anything.
At safety, Reggie Nelson got a big interception while George Iloka led the way with seven total tackles.
Grade: C
Special Teams: C
8 of 10
Chalk up Sunday as an off night for the Cincinnati special teams.
Antonio Brown took a punt back for a touchdown as the kick coverage horribly lost contain early in the game, as Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com illustrates:
"Bengals have allowed 3 punt return TDs since 2011. All by Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh
— Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) December 29, 2014"
Mike Nugent was also a tad off, making one of his two attempts on the night.
With any luck, the special teams got their bad game out of the way before the postseason. What has been a rock for most of the year was also an issue Sunday night, something the team cannot afford to let morph into a trend.
Grade: C
Coaching: B
9 of 10
Sometimes all observers can do is throw their hands up in the air.
There were good points for Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati staff Sunday. A fourth-down conversion in the first quarter led to a touchdown to tie things up. The right blitz at the right time forced an interception in the third quarter.
The bad, though, seemed so avoidable. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson continued to throw the ball despite Dalton clearly off his game. This paid off on one drive and one drive only, but the rest of the time, it was confusing to not see the backs receive more opportunities.
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther seemed to be in a lose-lose situation, as more bodies to help a miserable rush would have meant fewer in coverage to stop Antonio Brown.
Against a familiar opponent, the Bengals put up a fight but were lacking in a few key areas the staff could not seem to turn around.
Grade: B
Final Grades
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| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | C |
| DL | C |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | C |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | C |
Sunday is not exactly what most expected from the Bengals after the tease that was a win over Denver just one week ago.
Cincinnati was downright flat in most areas against Pittsburgh. Even worse, the team now has a pair of hobbled weapons due to injuries to A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham.
Tackle issues and a lack of pressure continue to define the defense, while struggles under center personify the offense.
As the Bengals prep to take on the Indianapolis Colts, Week 17 is one they will want to forget.
All stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com as of 12 a.m. ET on Dec. 29 unless otherwise specified.
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