Each week, I give a breakdown of the Steelers Pro Football Focus (PFF) scores from the previous week and give my score of their score. Since their grades are subjective and merely an opinion of a grader they try to pass off as something more than what they are, I figure it is fair game for me to do the same and offer my opinion for they did with their scores.

Since the Steelers did not have a game in week nine, and that signifies the midway point of the NFL season, I felt it would be a good opportunity to look at the Steelers team grades through the first half of the season. Not only does PFF give an individual grade, but they compile them into several categories Including overall grade, various offensive grades, defensive grades, and a special team’s grade. As usual, I will give my grade of their grades at the end.

To start things off, here is the Steelers overall score followed by offense, defense, and special teams.

Overall

Score: 87.2
Rank: 4th

I’ll be honest, I’m surprised the Steelers were ranked this high. I did not expect this from PFF at all. Part of this is based on the breakdown of offensive and defensive scores as well as special teams. The scores also do not take into account record, but it obviously helps. The Detroit Lions were first with 92.2 followed by the Baltimore Ravens with 92.1. The Steelers also came behind the 4–4 San Francisco 49ers at 88.8. All things considered, the Steelers still finished ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles (86.3), Atlanta Falcons (85.7), Kansas City Chiefs (85.4), and Minnesota Vikings (83.0).

Offense

Score: 73.2
Rank: t-15th

When it comes to the Steelers offensive production, they land just about the middle of the pack and are tied with the New York Jets. The Steelers fall just behind the Buffalo Bills (73.8) and Cincinnati Bengals (74.0).

Passing

Score: 70.1
Rank: 17th

It’s difficult to look at the Steelers passing numbers with them playing two different quarterbacks over the first half of the season. Falling just outside of the top half of the league, it’s also interesting that the Steelers are just ahead of two other teams with high records when it comes to passing in the Buffalo Bills (68.5) and Detroit Lions (68.1).

Receiving

Score: 74.9
Rank: 11th

Even though many Steelers fans were looking for them to improve at this position, the Steelers receiving unit has not been awful. Just outside of the top 10, the Steelers receivers are ahead of teams like the Cincinnati Bengals (73.2) and Kansas City Chiefs (71.0). This is an interesting number as I’m not buying that the Baltimore Ravens receiving numbers are the best in the league at 84.8.

Rushing

Score: 75.2
Rank: 20th

Despite having one of the better rushing attacks in the NFL, the Steelers are only ranked 20th when it comes to the players running the football. Shockingly, it’s the Atlanta Falcons (91.5) on top just ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (91.2). I also find it interesting that the Steelers overall offensive grade is higher than either their passing or running attacks.

Pass Blocking

Score: 58.0
Rank: 26th

Despite the Steelers constantly having higher scores by individuals when it comes to pass blocking, I’m guessing the low scores they are also getting bring these numbers down and have this as the Steelers worst score of anything team-wise from PFF. The Steelers have the lowest pass blocking score of any team currently with a winning record in the NFL.

Run Blocking

Score: 66.0
Rank: 12th

When it comes to run blocking, although the individual players scores don’t seem to be off the charts, the Steelers do have an overall team score that is better than pass blocking. It is nice to see that the Steelers are recognized for at least being close to the top 10 as a unit when it comes to run blocking, especially when adding in the tight ends and wide receivers.

Defense

Score: 82.0
Rank: 2nd

As expected, the Steelers are at the top of the NFL when it comes to overall defense only behind the Detroit Lions (82.5). This score will make a lot more sense after looking at the individual components that help make it up.

Run Defense

Score: 75.4
Rank: 5th

For those that were sounding the alarm about the Steelers run defense being a problem, it was a one-game sample. The Steelers come in just behind the Kansas City Chiefs (78.0) when it comes to stopping the run. I was surprised to see the Ravens at the top of this list, but it might have more to do with their poor coverage score and teams knowing that it’s easier to pass on them that it does their ability to stop the run. I do find it intriguing that three of the four AFC North teams are in the top five run defense as the Cleveland Browns are second at 84.9, and all four of them are in the top nine.

Tackling

Score: 73.6
Rank: 2nd

This one might surprise a lot of Steelers fans. There have been times for the Steelers have struggled with missed tackles leading to surrendering more yards. But when looking across the league, there are players missing tackles a lot. I believe this is a byproduct of not being able to tackle in practice. But even though the Steelers aren’t perfect with their tackling, they are second in the NFL only behind the Baltimore Ravens (81.1) as they are the only two teams above a 70.0.

Pass Rush

Score: 90.2
Rank: 1st

When you have the best past rusher on the planet, it’s easier to get the best pass rushing score in the NFL. It also helps to have a fantastic complementary pieces across the defensive front. The Steelers are in first place by a long way when it comes to their pass rushing score as they are eight points ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles (82.2) and almost 10 points ahead of the Detroit Lions (80.7).

Coverage

Score: 68.1
Rank: 11th

Although it is the lowest rank of the Steelers defensive units, the Steelers are just outside of the top 10 when it comes to coverage. The Steelers are not far behind the Kansas City Chiefs who are the 10th spot with a 68.9, and there is not another AFC North team on the list until the 20th position in the Cincinnati Bengals (62.7).

Special Teams

Score: 91.0
Rank: t-3rd

I must admit, although the Steelers special team score is their top score of anything listed, I thought it might be higher than being tied for third with the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers are just behind the Denver Broncos (91.2) and New England Patriots (91.4). Despite not being the top grade, it just shows how much success the Steelers special teams are having across-the-board this season.

When it comes to these grades, they weren’t awful for things spread over a nine game season. I was surprised the Steelers ranked so high overall, but when only one grade is below the standard 60.0 it evens things out well. The combination of defense and special teams along with an adequate offense is exactly the recipe that the Steelers need for success.

I’m not going to complain about these grades too much, although there are times where it seems like the “chosen teams“ get a little more bump with grades than what they should. I don’t understand how the Baltimore Ravens are in the top 10 in defense as that’s what’s been letting them down and the biggest reason they’ve lost three games. Their lowest score overall was their special teams even though obviously their defense is more of a concern. But these grades were more about the Steelers than about the other teams.

My grade of the overall PFF scores: B