There are times as an educator, something I was for 16 years, when you see that stack of quizzes or tests sitting on your desk and you just have to wait to grade them. Sometimes it is based on the fact you just haven’t carved out time to dive into the grading process, and other times you have a strong feeling the class, as a whole, didn’t do well on this assignment.

When it comes to grading the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 11 game vs. the Cleveland Browns, it was more the latter. As always, I felt the best course of action was to just wait a bit, let the dust settle, and then visit the grades without the emotions of the game still fresh in my mind.

Did it improve the grades much? Sort of. Time to get out the red pen and try to make this not look like a murder scene…

Offense

I had to try hard to not let the firing of Matt Canada skew the grade for the game Sunday, and while Jaylen Warren’s performance almost buoyed the group from failing, it wasn’t enough. Warren was literally a one-man offense. The offensive line, receivers, tight ends and running backs not named Warren were all below the line. There was a reason this game was the tipping point for the Steelers to part ways with a coach mid-season for the first time since 1941.

Grade: F

Defense

The last drive was awful, and the fact that’s the last thing on people’s minds certainly will have many thinking this grade is too high. However, the defense held the Browns to 13 total points, and set up the offense in perfect position to claim the lead. They just squandered away the opportunity. The defense still took the ball away, and stopped the run. It was just one drive in both halves which did them in.

Grade: B-

Special Teams

Chris Boswell did his job, like usual, but the return game combined with the inconsistency of Pressley Harvin had this grade drop. All we, the fans, want from the punter is consistency. Harvin hasn’t done that regularly the past 3 games, and it’s troubling.

Grade: C

Coaching

What a game plan the team had coming into Week 11. I sometimes think about these coaches in meetings looking at film and trying to put together a plan. At some point they have to agree they like the plan and they deliver the message to the players. The players then have to agree on said plan. It not only wasn’t executed well, but never looked like it would work in the first place. Throw in the fact it sometimes takes coaches over two quarters to adjust and you have yourself on colossal failure.

Grade: F

We might look back on this game eventually and see it as the game which spawned change within the organization. Maybe one day, but for now this will be remembered as a horrid performance by an offense which looks like a rudderless ship without a captain. Either way, this was a game to forget…

Overall Grade: D