The Pittsburgh Steelers start the season 2-0, and thanks to another strong defense, they beat the Denver Broncos 13-6. Otherwise, they’re not very good, and they have a lot to clean up, but a win is a win.
In this article, I’ll provide some insights from data and film from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
violation:
Excellent (90 points or more):
The attack rating was the best and overall it was G. James Daniels (91.5 grade, 66 snaps). While he had an impressive and poor game as a run blocker, his pass blocking was lackluster, though he had his moments. PFF agreed with him in Week 2, with a 93.2 RBLK, the second-best guard in the NFL, and a 39.7 PBLK, including four pressures (T-3), three hurries (T-2), and QB hits (T-3).
Excellent (80 points or more):
One player, TE danell washington (88.3, 29). First off, he caught the Steelers’ first TD of 2024, and his first career TD. It was great to see OC Arthur Smith line him up wide, play single coverage, and use his size in the red zone for a 5-yard back-shoulder score. Fortunately, he had a good run-blocking game overall (71.9), especially in the red zone and in the second half, and again had good pass pros, but he allowed pressure (throwaways).
Good (70 points or more):
Here are two. WR George Pickens (79.6, 51) caught 2/4 targets (counters), but only 29 yards and no touchdowns or explosive plays. PFF credited him for the massive hidden yards he created on denied plays. That included an explosive 37-yard DPI, an unrealistic 51-yard bomb, and a 6-yard TD from QB Justin Fields. Almost 100 yards and a TD were wiped off his resume. The Fields-Pickens connection looks much more promising than the stat sheet so far suggests.
tea Dan Moore (74.9, 66) Impressed me again, especially as a run blocker (76.9) and won almost every rep in my notes. I thought he had a better RBLK grade. His 65.1 PBLK was where he lost a few reps, allowed pressure (hurrying), and had a holding penalty. Encouragingly, two good games started this year.
Bad points (Level 50 and below):
Two more. TE Connor Hayward (46.5, 14) Played more in this game, but had a holding penalty, struggled as a run blocker (48.0), and wasn’t targeted. That last sentence seems biased to me, considering 11/14 snaps were as a run blocker, and his skill set is clearly more as a receiver. He does a good job of run blocking when he’s on the move, but I’d like to see a change in snaps there.
tea Broderick Jones (35.1, 11), ugh. In a confusing decision to rotate players in RT, Jones was the second player. Unfortunately, he was dismal with a whopping three penalties, two holdings, and a huge false start. Which, as expected, led to the lowest grade on offense. When you have a 27% penalty rate, the rest really doesn’t matter.
defense:
Excellent (90 points or more):
The best defensive performer was CB Corey Trice Jr. (90.1, 20). He had a clutch red zone interception, read the QB’s eyes and stripped him to the back of the end zone for a huge turnover. It was a tremendous play and comeback story following a devastating injury as a rookie.
Excellent (80 points or more):
Two players. DL Keanu Benton (88.7, 27) has trended positively, especially in run defense (39.7 to 73.4). According to my notes, he has only lost twice while winning several times. This progress has been paired with his usually consistent pass rush (75.2). My two favorite pressures have been winning 3rd and 6th incompletion situations and showing violent hands to hit the QB. He has three total tackles, all stops, and has impressive block shedding and ball tracking. Wow.
S Deshaun Elliott (80.5, 47) had a fantastic game. His nine tackles led the team, including a TFL. It was a 3rd-and-1, and he had a big expectation, and he flew in for a 4-yard loss. Several other plays featured this one, and PFF recognized him (87.9 RDEF, 80.8 TACK), ranking him first and second, respectively. Also strong in coverage (75.1): No catches allowed on three targets (39.6 grade). Some negatives on his offensive output: offside penalties and run-filing, but an outstanding season so far.
Good (70 points or more):
Here are four. LB Ellandon Roberts (79.8, 21) also showed downhill ability. He had three tackles (all stopped) and two off-zone coverage drops (78.5 COV), the longest of which was a 2-yard run. There were also some quality/quick run fills, but one of them was a missed tackle that led to his lowest individual grade (65.2 RDEF, 51.4 TACK).
edge TJ Watt (77.1, 55) was his usual dominant self. As HC Mike Tomlin eloquently put it, it was appreciated but expected. He had three total tackles (all stopped), one sack, two TFLs, two QB hits, and a pass defensed. It was impactful, and there were a ton of reps that led to big plays for teammates. Elite stuff, but graded lower than expected, especially considering his 63.8 PRSH was too low.
S Minka Fitzpatrick (76.1, 61) ranked second on the team with seven total tackles and first in tackle grade (84.6), which included several third-down stops but also included cleanup duty on two explosive plays and a TD save on a 49-yard trick play. The pairing with Elliott is going very well, and the more time they spend together, the more hopeful they will be.
DLA Cameron Hayward (70.0, 41) barely made the group despite a whopping six pressures, four hurries, two QB hits including a third-down stop late in the fourth quarter, three total tackles, and generally solid run defense (72.9). Similar to Watt, the confusing part of his grade was his 59.7 PRSH, and his 60.0 COV grade despite zero coverage snaps.
Bad points (Level 50 and below):
CB Joy Porter (45.8, 60) arrived here with a predictably massive three penalties (two for holding, one for illegal hands), all of which were offset and kept him off the radar on the offensive end more than Jones. Along with that was a missed tackle, which was his lowest grade (33.1). Aside from the penalties, there were a couple of good coverage plays, including a 3rd-and-6 PBU and a no-gain assisted screen tackle. But the bad far outweighed the good.
CB Beanie Bishop (41.5, 39) was the lowest-graded defender. His only tackle was a great 3-and-11 stop, and he tackled a scramble for five yards in the open field. The downside was his inconsistency in this department, with two bad angles and missed tackle opportunities, most painfully a 27-yard explosive play and a team-worst 108.3 grade. He had a few interceptions and good coverage on a 3-and-8 incompletion, but needs to grow from the undrafted rookie.
Special Teams:
Excellent (90 points or more):
doesn’t exist.
Excellent (80 points or more):
Ben Skoronek (84.3, 12) was a top-rated special teamer on three teams, making several excellent punt coverage plays, drawing several penalties and making a game-ending nine-yard punt coverage tackle when Denver was trying to crawl back.
Good (70 points or more):
Two players. Colise Weightman (77.4, 11) is the new punter after Cameron Johnston’s unfortunate season-ending injury. Weightman showed big legs with an impressive 53.0 YPA on eight attempts. The weak points and areas of growth will be touchbacks (three) and returns (three), which will lower his net average to 41.8. No Johnston, but he looked promising.
Tyler Matakevich (72.5, 19) was a four-teamer. His highlights included a great punt rush and a great punt coverage stick, which resulted in a tackle for just two yards.
Bad points (Level 50 and below):
Here are two. Hervig (49.9, 21) Had an assisted tackle but was dinged for holding a punt return. Led the unit in snaps and played on five teams. Darius Rush (46.3, 12) was the lowest-rated special teams player, having been fooled by a punt returner, causing the kick to bounce back and not have a chance to hold the ball.
surprise:
- tea Troy Pautanu He did it in his first start at right tackle, didn’t allow pressure, and filled my game notes with positives. But with a 64.4 grade, especially a 59.3 RBLK, he earned the starting job as much as Jones lost.
- Watt/Cameron Hayward Pass rush grades are discussed in the defensive section.
- Miles Killebrew – It’s no surprise that it’s almost a play, but the two plays that were close to a punt block deserved a better grade than 59.9 in my opinion.
Who were you?
Steelers Week 2 vs. Broncos & Regular Season Snap Totals:
SNAP Leader:
turn off- D. Moore, S. Anderson, Z. Fraser, J. Daniels, J. Fields.
defense- M. Fitzpatrick, P. Quinn.
castle- Hey, Herbig.
