TEAM GRADE: OVERALL: A+
Quarterback
Throwing three touchdowns, including a 94-yarder, was good enough to overcome a slow start for Ben Roethlisberger. But bringing the Steelers back on the road and putting up 25 points in the fourth quarter to keep them alive for a division title could be the turning point of the season. It helped erase the bad taste of three bad plays from the Bengals 4 at the end of the half.
Grade: A
Running backs
Le'Veon Bell is making a strong case for AFC offensive player of the year after rushing for 185 yards -- 110 in the fourth quarter -- and going over 200 scrimmage yards for the third game in a row. His 53-yard run to start the fourth quarter set the stage for 25 unanswered points. He also had six catches for 50 yards, including a 10-yard TD catch to go with two rushing scores.
Grade: A+
Wide receivers
The Bengals hadn't allowed a wide receiver to have more than five catches in the past four games, but Antonio Brown finished with nine for 117 yards, including three in a row for 56 yards on the second scoring drive. It's the fifth time in the past seven games Brown has had at least nine catches. Martavis Bryant answered the Bengals' long pass plays with a 94-yard TD catch that proved to be the back-breaker.
Grade: A
Offensive line
Roethlisberger was not sacked for only the second time this season and the Steelers gouged the Bengals for 131 of their 193 yards rushing in the second half. And they did it with a steady diet of counter plays featuring David DeCastro pulling from his right guard spot. TE Heath Miller and FB Will Johnson looked like pulling guards themselves for the number of times they helped spring Bell.
Grade: A+
Defensive line
The Steelers did a solid job against rookie Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, holding them to a combined 63 yards on 14 carries and not allowing a run longer than 15 yards. However, the entire defense was completely fooled on Andy Dalton's 20-yard touchdown run on a read-option play. DE Cam Heyward had a sack to take the team lead (5).
Grade: B
Linebackers
Arthur Moats, who started for injured James Harrison, had two of the three sacks and recovered the fumble that helped turn the game around. Lawrence Timmons got caught out of position on Dalton's 20-yard touchdown run, but he made several big stops in the run game. The pressure wasn't great, but, all in all, a solid performance.
Grade: B
Secondary
Troy Polamalu looked lost on two of the game's longest plays -- a 56-yard pass to A.J. Green to set up a touchdown and Dalton's 20-yard scoring run on a read-option play. And CB Ike Taylor, who shadowed Green, was removed after allowing an 81-yard touchdown pass to Green. It was the seventh pass of 50-plus yards allowed this season, five in the past four games.
Grade: D
Special teams
The Bengals showed why they have one of the best coverage units in the league when they allowed Brown just 14 yards on three punt returns. The Steelers did a nice job on kick coverage, but the punt unit allowed two returns of 16 yards. Brad Wing had his longest punt of the year (74 yards) and Shaun Suisham's 44-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter was big.
Grade: C
Coaching
The Steelers showed great resiliency not wilting under the Bengals' big plays and scoring 25 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Todd Haley's offense continues to put up big numbers -- no Steelers team has ever scored 30 or more points eight times in a season -- especially against the better teams in the league. It's just another chapter in a Jekyll and Hyde season for an unpredictable bunch.
Grade: A
First Published: December 8, 2014, 5:00 a.m.
