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 13 game vs. the Arizona Cardinals, it was more the latter than anything else. 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? Not at all. Time to get out the red pen and try to make grade out this game…

Offense

The game started with a nice drive which ended in a field goal, and then the wheels fell off. Kenny Pickett gets hurt on a 3rd and goal scramble, Mitch Trubisky enters and the offense is stuffed on a 4th and goal from the 1. Throw in Mason Cole’s bad snaps and this offense was dead on arrival.

Grade: F

Defense

Surrendering 24 points to the Arizona Cardinals is bad enough; however, the fact the team allowed James Conner to go over 100 yards and two touchdowns and Trey McBride to be a one man receiving crew just wreaked of poor play from start to finish. It all started with the 99-yard touchdown drive and went down hill from there.

Grade: F

Special Teams

Miles Killebrew’s three special teams penalties (running into the punter, hitting a returner with a fair catch signal, and a facemask on a return) just typifies the type of day the Steelers had on special teams. How bad of a day was it? Even Chris Boswell missed a field goal.

Grade: F

Coaching

When players openly state they took the opponent lightly, and the team look disjointed at best on the field…that points to coaching. Yes, players have to execute, but this was a one-sided affair which looked as if the Steelers were stunned at every turn vs. the Cardinals. Some call it the annual Tomlin Letdown game, I just call it a bad coaching job.

Grade: F

Has there been a more weird game than the won we witnessed in Week 13? Two weather delays, poor play, injuries galore. This was a game to forget, and fans of the black-and-gold are wondering if this will be the new norm, of if it was just a blip on the radar. Either way, this was a failure on all fronts…no other way to put it.

Overall Grade: F

What grade would you give the Steelers? Would any of the above grades be different? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the New England Patriots in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football.