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 12 game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, it was more time 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? Sort of. Time to get out the red pen and try to make grade out this game…

Offense

400 yards for the first time since 2020 speaks volumes about the game Sunday and the horrid offense fans have been put through the past 2.5 seasons. This would have been an A grade for sure, if the team put up more than 16 points. A huge step in the right direction though…

Grade: B+

Defense

Talk about a fluky game. Tipped passes which landed in the hands of Ja’Marr Chase, dropped interceptions and a dominant performance which at one point saw the team trailing. They did what they should do against an inexperienced back-up quarterback.

Grade: A-

Special Teams

The penalties on the special teams units are really reaching a tipping point. But the real reason the grade wasn’t an A was based on the lack of a return game. Calvin Austin III will receive a returnable punt, and is confronted by a wave of the opposition ready to plant him six feet under. Where are the blockers? Consistency remains an issue for special teams.

Grade: B

Coaching

For two brand-new coordinators/play-callers on offense, you couldn’t have scripted a better start to their tenure. I already wrote about wanting more points, but the output was obvious. The Steelers were prepared in this game, and it showed in the execution. The coaches did a great job this week getting over the news of Matt Canada’s firing and getting ready for a road division game.

Grade: A

Everyone knew the Steelers were the better of the two teams who played Sunday at Paycor Stadium. Even with a sputtering offense, the Pittsburgh defense was no match for the Burrow-less Bengals offense. On top of that, the Steelers offense showed it was no match for the banged up Cincinnati defense. This was a great game for the Steelers, all that was missing were more points scored…

Overall Grade: B+