Each week, the Post-Gazette will recap the most interesting Steelers player grades released by Pro Football Focus, the scouting website that evaluates players’ performance on every play of every game. For context, players are graded on a 0-100 scale.
Justin Fields (75.9) – The scouts liked what they saw from the Steelers’ backup quarterback Sunday, despite the fact that he did not finish any drive against the Atlanta Falcons with a touchdown. Fields’ passing grade of 77.4 actually ranked fifth in the NFL, behind only New Orleans’ Derek Carr (88.7), Minnesota’s Sam Darnold (86.2), Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (83.0) and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield (81.7.) His three big-time throws, classified by PFF as among the best in the league this week, ranked second only to Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa. His big-time throw percentage of 12% ranked first league-wide. And he had zero turnover-worthy plays. All good things. If there’s a knock, it’s that his average depth of target was just 6 yards, which means he really wasn’t looking downfield for explosive plays much more than predecessors including Kenny Pickett. PFF, however, might have an idea of who to blame for that.
Calvin Austin III (48.1) and Van Jefferson (45.3) – The team’s No. 2 and No. 3 receivers posted the offense’s two worst grades Sunday. League-wide, Austin ranked 98th among 116 graded receivers. Jefferson ranked 104th. Jefferson’s average depth of target was, somehow, 0.0 yards on his two targets. And their yards per route run numbers were horrific — 0.50 for Austin, and 0.05 for Jefferson. Contrast that with No. 1 receiver George Pickens, who had an ADOT of 14.0 and a yards per route run figure of 3.86, and the data doesn’t suggest the passer nor the offensive scheme was the issue. These two just weren’t getting open enough to make the chunk plays necessary to finish drives. After all of the questions about the receiving group beyond Pickens that dominated the offseason, it was a disconcerting start.
Cameron Heyward (89.4) – Does he still have it? That’s the question many had after the defensive captain received his lucrative contract extension early this month. One game in, the answer appears to be a resounding “yes.” His grade Sunday ranked second on the defense, behind only the other-worldly T.J. Watt (95.3.), and second among interior defensive linemen, trailing only the New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence (92.6). He was credited with just two pressures, but four stops, classified by PFF as plays that result in failure for the opposing offense. Only three around the league had more. Maintaining his health will be important to stringing similar performances together consistently. But it’s an encouraging sign that he still has the top-end ability when he’s close to 100%.
Patrick Queen (28.8) – One thing we’ve learned in a few years of tracking these grades now is that PFF’s grading system can discriminate against middle linebackers because their play responsibilities are so numerous. Even so, it was not a great day for the defense’s signature acquisition of the offseason. PFF faulted Queen with four missed tackles on seven attempts Sunday, resulting in an ugly missed tackle percentage of 57.1. He wasn’t great in coverage, either, yielding two catches for 36 yards on the two occasions when Atlanta QB Kirk Cousins targeted him. All this while generating zero pressures and notching zero stops. It’s just one game, but that’s not good enough for someone getting paid one of the richest contracts on the team.
Pass blocking (81.3) – That mark ranked third in the NFL over the weekend. Only New Orleans (92.4) and Philadelphia (87.6) were better. Not bad for a group that started four players in their first or second professional seasons. Collectively, they allowed just five pressures of Fields, a striking contrast from a year ago when Dan Moore Jr. allowed nine individually in the season opener against San Francisco. It wasn’t a perfect performance. The run blocking ranked 22nd — with grades for “Monday Night Football” participants San Francisco and the New York Jets still to come — and that’s supposed to be a core piece of their identity in new OC Arthur Smith’s system. And individually, Broderick Jones (50.8) and Spencer Anderson (52.3) lugged very lukewarm scores. Given the inexperience, however, you probably have to rate the performance overall as a victory and promising foundation with which to start.
First Published: September 10, 2024, 1:41 p.m.
Updated: September 10, 2024, 5:52 p.m.
