QUARTERBACK: B+
Ben Roethlisberger was sharp early, completing 12 of 17 passes for 166 yards in the first half and rallying the Steelers in the second half. What's more, he was able to hit several third-down throws behind the Patriots defense, including a 47-yarder to Darrius Heyward-Bey and a 37-yarder to Antonio Brown. However, he couldn't finish enough drives to overcome a 21-3 deficit, despite throwing for 351 yards.
RUNNING BACKS: A
Playing the first of two games for suspended Le'Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams looked every bit as effective as he did during his career in Carolina, rushing for 54 yards on 10 carries that included an 18-yard gain on his first carry and a 28-yard run on his first carry in the second half. He finished with 127 yards on 21 carries, his first 100-yard game since Sept. 22, 2013.
RECEIVERS: A-
Brown picked up right where he left off in 2014 when he led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards, catching nine passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. His 37-yarder down the right sideline set up Josh Scobee's 44-yard field goal. Heyward-Bey had a 43-yard catch, but also had a potential TD nullified because his right toe was out of bounds. Heath Miller had four of his eight catches in the first half for 50 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE: B-
A very good performance, especially on the road in a raucous environment. Williams had plenty of running room and Roethlisberger had good protection in the first half. The only sack came when C Cody Wallace, starting for injured Maurkice Pouncey, failed to pick up blitzing LB Dont'a Hightower. But a costly false start penalty by LT Kelvin Beachum at the 1 forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal when it was 21-11.
DEFENSIVE LINE: C+
The Steelers spent a lot of time in their nickel and dime packages, so NT Steve McLendon was off the field most of the time. Still, they did a nice job against the run, holding the Patriots to 28 yards on 11 carries in the first half. And they did a nice job in short-yardage situations, even though Tom Brady sneaked for two first downs. The run defense started to leak in the second half.
LINEBACKERS: C
Ryan Shazier was very active, using his speed to blow up several running plays. Keith Butler rotated both sets of outside linebackers, often on the same series. Jarvis Jones looked very good, showing surprising strength and push against LT Nate Solder. Rookie Bud Dupree, the Steelers' first-round pick, came untouched and had one of the two sacks against Brady. Still, too many medium length gains.
SECONDARY: D
Playing his first game since winning his court decision, Brady surgically picked apart the secondary with 288 yards passing and four touchdowns. At one point from the second quarter to the fourth quarter, Brady completed a franchise-record 19 passes in a row for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Three of the touchdowns went to TE Rob Gronkowski, who also had a 52-yard gain.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D-
Scobee's career with the Steelers got off to a bad start when he was wide right with his first two attempts of 46 and 44 yards. He later added field goals of 44 and 24 yards. The Steelers continue to get little from Dri Archer's kick returns and Brown had nowhere to move on punt returns. New punter Jordan Berry, who beat Brad Wing for the job, had to punt just once for 50 yards in the first three quarters.
COACHING: C
Maybe it's a different outcome if Scobee converts his first two attempts in the first half. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley did a good job mixing runs with pass plays, despite playing without Bell and Martavis Bryant. That allowed Williams to be effective on first down. The defense was better than expected, not allowing any plays longer than 19 yards until Gronkowski's 52-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter.
First Published: September 11, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
