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 14 game vs. the New England Patriots, 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 Steelers offense wasn’t able to get anything going, and stumbled at the most critical moments. When the unit wasn’t able to run the ball, it forced Mitch Trubisky into “win the game” mode, and anyone who has watched the Steelers with Trubisky at the helm has seen that simply doesn’t equate to success.

Grade: F

Defense

The Steelers’ defense fell flat early in the game, giving up 21 points to the Patriots; however, they rebounded by shutting out New England in the second half. However, it was too little too late for the Steelers defense, and their slow start doomed the team with a lackluster offensive effort. The current Steelers defense has to live by the “Rule of 18”. Keep the opponent off that number, and the likelihood of winning increases dramatically. It’s a tall order on a weekly basis, but it’s what is required with the current team.

Grade: D

Special Teams

The Steelers’ special teams weren’t the issue on Thursday night. Chris Boswell made his kicks, and Pressley Harvin wasn’t a huge issue. This grade could have been an A if the unit was able to successfully draw the Patriots offsides, but the officials didn’t see it the same way.

Grade: B

Coaching

A short week is difficult, but it’s the same short week for both teams. On top of that, the Patriots had to travel while the Steelers were able to stay at home and still lacked the preparedness to equate to a win. This capped off back-to-back poor showings for the coaching staff, and one of the worst five day stretches in Steelers history.

Grade: F

This performance was bad from the start. Offensive failures, a defense slow to adjust, and a coaching staff which looked out-classed and out-matched by the opposition. There weren’t many, if any, positives to draw from this grade. I really wanted to let the dust settle on this game before I took a look at the grades, and it didn’t change much at all. The special teams kept this grade from being an ‘F’. So fans have that going for them…

Overall Grade: D-

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 Indianapolis Colts in Week 15 on Sunday.