Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger’s numbers weren’t dazzling — 18 of 31, 229 yards — but all he did was come back from his injured shoulder and lead the winning field-goal drive in one of his most incredible and dramatic comebacks. He also made two big throws in the second half — a 10-yard touchdown to Martavis Bryant and a 60-yard pass-and-run to Antonio Brown to set up that touchdown.
Grade: A
Running backs
Playing without DeAngelo Williams, the Steelers had every right to not expect much from Fitzgerald Toussaint. But they got plenty from him and Jordan Todman in the first half. Toussaint had 38 of his 54 yards before halftime, in addition to two catches for 43 yards. Todman had 35 yards on just six carries and made several nice jump-cuts to bounce runs to the outside. He finished with 65 yards on 11 carries.
Grade: B+
Receivers
Martavis Bryant, called out by Roethlisberger earlier this week, made two of the biggest plays in the second half. His 44-yard run on a reverse set up a field goal, and his incredible acrobatic 10-yard TD catch gave the Steelers a 15-0 lead. The Bengals were determined not to let the Steelers get behind them. But Brown had a 23-yard sideline catch to set up a FG and Markus Wheaton made a tough 24-yarder over the middle to set up another.
Grade: B
Offensive line
The running game really struggled the previous three games, gaining just 163 yards on 46 carries, but it really came to life in the first half, even without Williams. The Steelers had 73 of their 163 rushing yards on 17 carries, a 4.3-yard average. But the Bengals had four sacks, three against Roethlisberger. An 11-yard sack on Landry Jones was unnecessary.
Grade: B-
Defensive line
The Steelers did a great job shutting down the Bengals running game, especially in the first half, limiting them to just 10 yards on eight carries. They finished with 91 yards on 24 carries that included a 38-yard run by Jeremy Hill, who had just 12 yards on 11 other carries. Cam Heyward had a sack and forced a bad throw by AJ McCarron with pressure before halftime.
Stephon Tuitt stuffed several plays in the run game.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
The unit was as active as it has been all season. Jarvis Jones finally came up with a big play, getting a strip sack on McCarron to set up a field goal that made it 9-0. Ryan Shazier was everywhere. Bud Dupree had two tackles for a loss, and James Harrison finished off a sack after pressure from Lawrence Timmons. The Steelers held the Bengals to 11 yards of offense in the second quarter and two first downs in the first half.
Grade: A-
Secondary
The defensive backs just couldn’t come up with the big play when they needed it and nearly lost the game when William Gay got beat for a 25-yard TD by A.J. Green with 1:50 left. Antwon Blake made the big play in the first half, returning an interception 35 yards to set up the first field goal. Safety Will Allen had a costly 42-yard pass interference penalty that set up the Bengals first touchdown.
Grade: D
Special teams
Chris Boswell showed he can handle pressure and even poor weather, hitting all four field-goal attempts, including the winner. He hit two field goals in the first half for a 6-0 lead. Allowing a 24-yard punt return to Adam Jones late in the game really hurt because it helped set up the Bengals’ go-ahead touchdown. Another stupid interference penalty by Shamarko Thomas, his second this season, came on a punt return.
Grade: C+
Coaching
A season that has bordered on remarkable, considering the injuries and suspensions to top players, has been extended in remarkable fashion, preventing the Steelers from nearly squandering a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. Mike Tomlin’s decision to go for 2 was unnecessary because it would have given the Steelers a 16-point lead. Keith Butler’s game plan befuddled and throttled the Bengals for 3½ quarters.
Grade: C
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: January 10, 2016, 6:37 a.m.
