Cardinals vs. Steelers: Pittsburgh Grades, Notes and Quotes

Heading into halftime on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers had just one net passing yard against the Arizona Cardinals.

Backup quarterback Michael Vick regressed big-time from his performance in the fourth quarter just a week ago against the San Diego Chargers. Just 3-of-8 passing in the first half, Vick simply couldn't move the ball through the air.

Using his legs, the 35-year-old was able to make some plays for the Steelers in the first half, but a scramble near the end of the first half resulted in a hamstring injury that sidelined the veteran QB.

Enter Landry Jones.

Guess what? He saved the day.

Wait, what?

Yeah, you read that right. Jones finished 8-of-12 for 168 yards and two touchdowns in relief, providing the Steelers with a much-needed passing game without Ben Roethlisberger.

With Jones under center in the second half, the Steelers scored on four straight possessions to pull away from the Arizona Cardinals, who are regarded as one of the best teams in the NFL.

It's time to put the Steelers in that discussion, especially once Roethlisberger returns from injury.

While the Steelers offense was able to get going with Jones under center, Pittsburgh's defense once again came up in a big way, slowing down the high-powered Cardinals offense under head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback Carson Palmer.

Coming into the Week 6 showdown with Pittsburgh, the Cardinals averaged more than 134 rushing yards per game to go with 5.0 yards per carry. Arizona didn't even come close to that against Pittsburgh thanks to Cam Heyward and the Steelers' attacking front seven.

Arizona had just 55 rushing yards on 20 carries (2.8 yards per carry). Wow.

Because Pittsburgh shut down Arizona's running game, it forced Palmer to try to beat the Steelers through the air. Although the Cardinals racked up 414 yards through the air, they weren't able to finish off enough drives against the Steelers.

Mike Mitchell ended the potential go-ahead touchdown from Arizona by intercepting Palmer in the end zone on a throw intended for John Brown.

The interception was Mitchell's first with the Steelers, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Following the interception, Jones found Martavis Bryant on a short slant in the middle of the field against Tyrann Mathieu. From there, the second-year receiver reversed field and outraced the Cardinals defense for the game-clinching score, an 88-yard catch-and-run.

The return of Bryant, the continued dominance of Cam Heyward defensively, the breakout game for Jones and the sure-footedness of new kicker Chris Boswell led the Steelers to a 25-13 victory over the Cardinals in a game that likely springboards Pittsburgh into serious contention in anticipation of Roethlisberger's return from injury in the next few weeks.

Speaking of injury, the Steelers offensive line was dealt another tough blow, this time losing left tackle Kelvin Beachum to a torn ACL, per NFL.com's Marc Sessler. The loss of Beachum for the year adds to the growing list up front of long-term injuries for the Steelers.

They may have lost starting center Maurkice Pouncey for the season this past week following a second procedure on his broken leg reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette, while backup tackle Mike Adams remains out because of back surgery prior to training camp.

Position Grades for Pittsburgh

Associated Press

Position                                             Grade

QB                                                      B+

RB                                                      B

WR                                                     B+

TE                                                      B

OL                                                      A

DL                                                     A

LB                                                     B+

DB                                                    C+

Special Teams                                    A+

Coaching                                            A

Landry Jones alone deserves an A-plus for the work he did coming off of the bench in the second half, but the poor performance of Michael Vick in the first half drags the QB grade down slightly.

Moving forward, the Steelers would be smart to roll with Jones over Vick until Roethlisberger is healthy. It's a much more explosive offense with Jones able to throw the ball accurately to his playmakers on the outside.

In the running game, the Cardinals held Le'Veon Bell in check for the most part, but the balance provided by him on the ground allowed the Steelers to attack Arizona through the air in the second half. Although Bell didn't have any trademark runs, he was effective all day long against a stout Cardinals defense.

Out wide, Antonio Brown struggled once again with Vick under center, but once Jones took over, Brown and the rest of the Steelers receivers—namely Martavis Bryant—busted out in a big, big way.

At the half, Brown had just one catch for minus-two yards, but in the second half he hauled in two passes for 26 yards, including a beautiful 23-yard back-shoulder catch from Jones that got the Steelers rolling.

As for Bryant, he was the definition of an X-factor on the day, hauling in both Jones touchdown passes while racking up 137 yards receiving on six catches. For the most part, the Cardinals secondary had trouble covering him in the second half thanks to the Steelers' ability to take to the air with Jones clicking.

Heath Miller extended his streak of at least one catch in a game, hauling in one pass for five yards, so he wasn't much of a factor in the passing game. However, he once again provided value as an in-line blocking tight end in the running game.

The offensive line did lose Kelvin Beachum for the season with a knee injury, but once Alejandro Villanueva stepped in for the 26-year-old, the Steelers offensive line imposed its will in the running game late. Pittsburgh allowed very little pressure on Jones and Vick in the win, with Vick being sacked just once.

Defensively, you can't say enough about the job this unit has done through six weeks of the season.

Against a high-powered Cardinals offense, the Steelers defense bent but didn't break and forced three turnovers in the game to keep the Cardinals off of the board after long drives.

It all started up from with the play of Cam Heyward, who continues to be difficult to block.

As a unit, the Steelers held the Cardinals well below their season average for rushing yards in a game. Heyward played a major part in that.

Linebackers James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons each came up with a big turnover in the win over the Cardinals. Harrison added a sack of Palmer thanks to Bud Dupree's terrific pressure off of the right edge.

In the secondary, Palmer had his way—for the most part—with Antwon Blake and Ross Cockrell, but when the defense needed it the most, the secondary came up with big stops, namely Mike Mitchell's huge interception of Palmer in the end zone to essentially seal the win.

New kicker Chris Boswell was outstanding in the win as well, nailing all four field-goal attempts at Heinz Field. His longest field goal on the day was from 51 yards out but would likely have been good from 60.

Jordan Berry also had an outstanding day punting the ball, averaging 47.9 yards per punt, including a booming 79-punt just before halftime to keep the Cardinals pinned in their own end.

But a lot of credit goes to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and defensive coordinator Keith Butler for doing a terrific job throughout the game—minus the decision to go for two following Bryant's first touchdown.

Haley opened up the playbook for Jones and showed enough confidence in him to let him through, and Butler dialed up the right defenses time after time to slow down the Cardinals offense.

Bryant Returns in a Big Way

Associated Press

All Martavis Bryant does is catch touchdowns.

Making his 2015 season debut following a four-game suspension and a hip injury that kept him out of Week 5 against San Diego, Bryant returned to the Steelers' lineup and exceeded expectations against the Cardinals.

In the process of his six-catch, 137-yard performance against Arizona, Bryant became part of Steelers receiving history for touchdowns in his first two seasons, according to Steelers public relations media manager Dom Rinelli.

"

Martavis Bryant (@ThaBestUNO) is now the 10th @steelers player in team history to have 10 or more TD catches in a player's 1st two seasons.

— Dom Rinelli (@drinelli) October 18, 2015"

Bryant is an explosive player who changes the makeup of the Steelers offense. With him back, healthy and focused, the Steelers offense could take a major step forward.

Harrison Turns Back the Clock

Associated Press

James Harrison turned the clock back to his heyday in a big way Sunday.

The 37-year-old came up with a vintage performance when the Steelers needed him the most, sacking Carson Palmer once while also forcing a fumble on John Brown in the third quarter that led to a Steelers score.

The forced fumble should remind Steelers fans of just how dominant and physical Harrison can be. He dropped the hammer on an unsuspecting Brown, who was held up by Antwon Blake on the play.

Along with the forced fumble, Harrison was able to drop Palmer for a big sack on third down thanks to Bud Dupree forcing Palmer toward Harrison.

With the sack, Harrison continued his ascent in the Steelers' record book:

"

.@steelers LB James Harrison (@jharrison9292) records his 29th defensive forced fumble, recovered by S Mike Mitchell (@MikeMitchell34).

— Dom Rinelli (@drinelli) October 18, 2015"

Beachum Lost for the Season to Knee Injury

Associated Press

Poor, poor Kelvin Beachum.

In a contract year and looking to cash in, Beachum now won't have that chance.

The Steelers left tackle suffered a torn ACL against the Arizona Cardinals and is now lost for the year.

Now that Beachum is done for the season, Alejandro Villanueva will be thrust into the spotlight as the starting left tackle in Pittsburgh.

Jones Seizes Opportunity

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When the Steelers needed a shot in the arm the most, Landry Jones provided it.

Making the most of his opportunity against Arizona, Jones may have just played his way into the starting role until Roethlisberger's return after his 168-yard, two-touchdown performance in relief of the injured Michael Vick.

In fact, Jones wasn't even planning on playing in the game, but once he got in, he took advantage while leading the Steelers to victory.

Jones told Ken Laird of Pittsburgh's TribLive Radio he feels "blessed" to be able to play in the game.

"

Landry: "I just still can't believe I got in the game. I'm still kind of reeling. Today I'm going to enjoy it. Going to go home & hangout"

— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) October 18, 2015"

Even Mike Tomlin weighed in on Jones' play, per Laird: "Landry probably played more preseason snaps than anyone in the history of the NFL this year. He got better and it was displayed today."

Mitchell Saves the Day

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For all the flak he receives—and rightfully so—Mike Mitchell finally came up with a play to silence his detractors.

With the Cardinals driving for the potential go-ahead touchdown, Mitchell stepped in front of an errant Palmer throw intended for Brown, resulting in a big interception to give the ball back to the Steelers offense.

Mitchell cited to reporters his game preparation and instincts as the reason he was able to haul in the interception.

Talking on the safety's interception, Palmer told Ken Laird that he didn't see Mitchell in the middle of the field.

"

Carson Palmer on his endzone INT: "I didn't see the safety. Never saw him. That can't happen. I thought I had 'Smokey' [John Brown]"

— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) October 18, 2015"

It's becoming commonplace that the Steelers pull out wins like this with Roethlisberger still on the shelf.