Quarterback: Coach Mike Tomlin has had to pull his starting quarterback twice in the past five games. His decision was easy this time after Duck Hodges threw two interceptions in the first three offensive series of the game. Mason Rudolph, who got the hook a month ago in Cincinnati, replaced him and provided a temporary spark. He led the Steelers to 10 points in the final 1:18 of the first half, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson with four seconds left before halftime. But any momentum the Steelers gained quickly dissipated in the second half as they were shut out for the final two quarters. Hodges had to re-enter the game after Rudolph injured his shoulder late in the third quarter. Rudolph finished 14 for 20 for 129 yards and a passer rating of 104.0. Hodges wasn’t nearly as good. He was 11 for 17 for 84 yards and those two crucial first-half interceptions, one of which came when the Steelers were in field-goal range. Who starts in Baltimore? Paxton Lynch?
Grade: D-
Running backs: James Conner got off to a good start (six carries for 32 yards), but he was injured in the second quarter and did not return. Not a whole lot of positive things happened for the running game after he exited. Kerrith Whyte and Benny Snell got most of the carries after that, but they didn’t find much daylight against the Jets, who have one of the best run defenses in the league. The Steelers averaged just three yards per carry (25 for 75). That’s not good enough when you’re playing young quarterbacks.
Grade: C-
Receivers: Twice in the final minute, Steelers receivers had opportunities to win the game, and twice they failed to make a big play. On third-and-7 with 51 seconds left, James Washington had the winning touchdown in his hands before Jets safety Marcus Maye knocked the ball to the ground. Then on fourth down, JuJu Smith-Schuster had the ball go through his hands at the 10-yard line. It kind of summed up the season for the offense. Johnson led the way with eight catches for 81 yards and the touchdown, but the Steelers needed more from Washington and Smith-Schuster, who combined for just 51 receiving yards between them. That’s not going to get it done.
Grade: F
Offensive line: Steelers quarterbacks were sacked four times. On one of them, Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was unblocked and sacked Hodges for a nine-yard loss that took the Steelers out of field goal range in the fourth quarter. The Steelers can’t afford to have negative plays on offense, and that one haunted them for the remainder of the game. The run-blocking wasn’t much better, but that’s not their forte. This is an offensive line that’s built to pass protect, and they failed to provide adequate protection.
Grade: D-
Defensive line: The Jets only averaged 2.7 yards per carry, but the defensive line didn’t come up big late in the game. Le’Veon Bell ran for 10 yards on third-and-13 with 3:30 remaining to set up Sam Ficken’s 42-yard field goal that made it 16-10. Bell had 19 yards on the drive that started at the Jets’ 20-yard line. Cam Heyward had seven tackles and Javon Hargrave six, but the defensive line didn’t apply enough pressure to get quarterback Sam Darnold off his game.
Grade: C+
Linebackers: T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree each had a sack, the only two of the game for the Steelers. Watt’s strip sack with under a minute remaining before halftime set up the only touchdown of the day for the offense. Maybe the coaches should consider putting Watt at tight end, too. He gets his hands on the ball more than Vance McDonald and Nick Vannett. Mark Barron had a strong game with seven tackles and a pass defended. One of the only bad marks for the linebackers came when Jets tight end Trevon Wesco was left uncovered and gained 32 yards to set up the go-ahead field goal in the third quarter.
Grade: B
Secondary: Opposing offenses continue to pick on second-year safety Terrell Edmunds, who was in coverage when Darnold threw a 23-yard touchdown to Robbie Anderson in the first quarter. Edmunds never turned for the ball and Anderson was able to make the catch in the back of the end zone. Joe Haden dropped an interception later in the first quarter. In a game when the offense struggled mightily, the defense needed to come up with more than one turnover. It wasn’t a bad day for the secondary, but they didn’t make any game-changing plays, either.
Grade: B-
Special teams: The Steelers will enter another offseason with a glaring need at punter. They’ve been hesitant to move away from Jordan Berry, but maybe this time it will be different. Berry’s late-season struggles continued against the Jets. With a chance to pin the Jets deep late in the fourth quarter, he shanked a 24-yard punt that was fair caught at the 20. The jets went down and kicked a field goal that made it 16-10. The only bright spot was Chris Boswell nailing another field goal. He’s only missed twice this season entering the final game against the Ravens.
Grade: D
Coaching: The Steelers are going to play in close games. That’s a given with their offense. But coming out flat and allowing a touchdown on the first series of the game is a failure. The Steelers never recovered from that. It’s happened all season. The comeback wins, which were their signature in the middle of the season when they resurfaced as playoff contenders, have been harder to come by late in the season. The Steelers spotted the Jets a 10-0 lead, and it proved to be too much to overcome. It’s obvious the coaches have their hands tied with two inexperienced quarterbacks, but the inability to develop a consistent running game also falls on their shoulders. With their defense, the Steelers would be in the playoffs by now if the running game was competent. It’s far from that, and the coaches should bear some of that blame.
Grade: D
First Published: December 22, 2019, 10:52 p.m.
