The Steelers offense in Week 7 was a tale of two halves. Throughout the first half, this offense was cooking with four consecutive scoring drives. However, this momentum shifted considerably in the second half as QB Ben Roethlisberger attempted to toss the game away with costly turnovers literally. While the Titans pass rush played a role in many of these TOs, Ben and the rest of his teammates were too carefree with protecting the football. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, big plays from their wideouts helped this team remain undefeated.
Quarterback
D
Running Backs
C-
Protection & Blocking
C
Receiving
A
Analysis Notes
Ben Roethlisberger aired the ball out well to all of his receivers, who had an easy day shaking the Titans defensive backs. Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson was especially productive, hauling in nine catches for 80 yards and two TDs. However, he also threw three interceptions to the Titans secondary.
The Steelers offensive line was pushed to the brink in pass protection. When they went against the Titans front seven, the Steelers surrendered 13 pressures. However, they were effective at run blocking by opening up numerous lanes for Pittsburgh's backfield. Consequently, James Conner was efficient on the ground but had an inopportune fumble.
Defense
Passing Game Defense
C
Stopping the Run
B+
Controlling the Line of Scrimmage
B
Forcing Turnovers
F
Big Plays
D
Mistakes
D
Game Notes on Defense
The Steelers defense did a good job containing Tennesse's offense. For instance, the Steelers front seven generated 14 total pressures against Ryan Tannehill. The Steelers defense limited star, RB Derrick Henry, stops even more impressive with some incredible run. One such stop included a goal-line stand against Henry on third down.
However, Pittsburgh made some big mistakes in this game that could have cost them this game. For instance, they allowed two big plays to Henry and WR A.J. Brown, who shredded Pittsburgh's defense on a nice 73-yard touchdown. Additionally, this team was unable to create any turnovers or significant plays of their own.
Defensive Line
B+
Linebackers
B+
Defensive Backs
A-
Notes
From a positional standpoint, none of these groups was a liability on defense. In fact, this defense executed well and showed tremendous effort throughout the entire game. However, the Titans offense was good enough to counteract this issue.