Quarterback: Mason Rudolph had just four interceptions entering the game, but the Browns picked him off four times in four quarters. The third, by linebacker Joe Schobert, for all intents and purposes ended the game. It was a terrible throw into double coverage. Rudolph did show some guts by leading a touchdown drive in the third quarter with Johnny Holton, Tevin Jones and James Washington as his receivers, but this was the worst he’s looked all season.
Grade: F
Running backs: James Conner returned after missing two games with a shoulder injury. He didn’t last until halftime. Conner finished with 10 yards on five carries. Conner had feasted on the Browns in his first three games against them, averaging 97 yards per game to go along with four touchdowns. But that was when the Steelers had some semblance of a running game. They have none now, and the play-calling is indicative of that. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner threw more often on third- and fourth-and-1 than he ran it.
Grade: D
Receivers: Once again, the skill players had a hard time defeating man-to-man coverage. And it didn’t help matters when JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson were knocked out of the game with helmet-to-helmet hits. That left it up to James Washington, Johnny Holton and Tevin Jones, who was signed to the active roster hours earlier, to pick up the slack. Washington had three catches for 49 yards and led the Steelers in receiving yards for a second consecutive game.
Grade: D
Offensive line: This maybe was the worst performance by a Steelers offensive line in more than a decade. It’s becoming sad to watch this once-strong unit deteriorate week by week. Alejandro Villanueva couldn’t handle Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who had a strip sack and forced two holding penalties in the first half. The strip sack knocked the Steelers out of field goal range late in the first half. The run-blocking might have been even worse. Late in the first quarter, facing a third-and-1 from their 43-yard line, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner called a pass that fell incomplete. That’s all you need to know about the level of confidence the coaches have in the run game. And maybe it was the right call, because when the Steelers faced a third-and-1 near midfield midway through the second quarter, Trey Edmunds was dumped for a 1-yard loss. On fourth-and-2, another Rudolph pass fell incomplete. Mind you, the Browns were 27th in the league in rushing yards against entering the game, allowing an average of 135 per game.
Grade: F
Defensive line: The Steelers had been getting a strong pass rush in recent games, but they failed to generate a good one against a Browns offensive line that had struggled protecting Baker Mayfield in recent weeks. Browns running back Nick Chubb entered the game as the NFL’s third-leading rusher and finished with 92 yards on 27 carries. The Steelers front didn’t get pushed around in the run game, but they didn’t win the line of scrimmage, either.
Grade: C
Linebackers: T.J. Watt picked up a sack to get into double digits for a second consecutive season. But that was about the only highlight. Bud Dupree had a matchup against Greg Robinson, who had been benched for poor play earlier in the season, but he failed to exploit it. Mayfield was able to scramble around and make some plays because the linebackers could not keep contain on him. That hurt the Steelers in the first half. Mark Barron missed a tackle on Kareem Hunt on third-and-11 and Hunt got the first down. The Steelers had a hard time getting off the field on third downs in the first half when they had a chance to take control of the game.
Grade: C
Secondary: The Steelers had all but eliminated the bad miscommunication errors that plagued them early in the season, but they had another early that cost them a touchdown. Odell Beckham Jr. got behind corner Steven Nelson, who had no help from safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick or Terrell Edmunds. The 42-yard pass play set up Baker Mayfield’s 1-yard touchdown run. On the Browns’ second scoring drive, Joe Haden was called for pass interference in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 7. Jarvis Landry was left uncovered on the next play and scored to make it 14-0.
Grade: C
Special teams: Punter Jordan Berry bobbled the snap on Chris Boswell’s 44-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter, which caused Boswell to miss only his second attempt all season. Those are the types of mistakes teams can’t afford to have on the road. On a night the offense needed a boost, the return units once again laid an egg. Johnson replaced Ryan Switzer as punt returner, but he struggled before he was injured. On one occasion, he failed to field a punt, let it bounce and the Browns downed it at the 5-yard line. With a limited offense, the Steelers have to find a way to create more splash plays from their return game.
Grade: D
Coaching: Mike Tomlin hasn’t been able to figure out why his teams start so slow, and it finally cost him. When the Steelers win, the play-calling is called conservative. When they lose, it’s unimaginative. Fichtner is very limited with his personnel, and he hasn’t been able to come up with answers. It’s hard to blame him for what happened in the second half. It became really difficult for him after Conner, Johnson and Smith-Schuster exited the game. The defense, which had been dominant in recent weeks, couldn’t come up with any big plays to help the offense. That had been a staple during the four-game winning streak. Thursday night games are tricky for coaches, but whatever the Steelers did for this game, they should avoid repeating it next year when they have to play on Thursday night.
Grade: C-
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
