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 Wild Card game vs. the Buffalo Bills, 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? For the first time in a while, it did. Time to get out the red pen and try to grade out this game…

Offense

Were the conditions ideal? No, but rarely are conditions ideal in January in Orchard Park, NY. The offense settled in after an unsettled start, but the true turning point(s) in the game were the two turnovers. In a game where they couldn’t turn it over at all, they did it twice. When you consider both of those turnovers, they were turned into touchdowns by the Bills. The George Pickens fumble was a touchdown to Dalton Kincaid the next play. The red-zone interception by Mason Rudolph in the end-zone turned into an 80-yard Josh Allen touchdown drive. The latter turnover was at least a 10-point, probably 14-point, swing. You can’t do that in the playoffs. Throw in the sluggish running game and a spotty offensive line and this grade wasn’t great.

Grade: C

Defense

Considering the extra possessions the defense was thrust into, see offensive breakdown above, you can imagine how difficult it had to be for the unit to withstand the Bills offense on a repeated basis. While they did eventually settle in and force some quick three-and-outs, the defense couldn’t stop the run when it mattered most and the Bills were able to exploit the weaknesses within the core of the defense. What might have been the most disappointing aspect of this game wasn’t the fact they were relying on Eric Rowe and Myles Jack, but the fact the tackling was absolutely horrendous. The tackling was typified by the Minkah Fitzpatrick missed tackle on Khalil Shakir which turned into the back-breaking touchdown. Just not good enough.

Grade: C

Special Teams

Chris Boswell was rock solid, as always, but his counterpart was not. Pressley Harvin III was out-performed by a Buffalo Bills punter who was seemingly kicking off one leg after pulling a hamstring after the Montravius Adams blocked field goal. As bad as Harvin was in the game, Boswell’s performance and Adams’ blocked field goal keep this a passing grade.

Grade: B

Coaching

Watching the NFL Wild Card Round you saw two teams who entered their game as underdogs and approached it with a “no holds barred” mentality, the same mentality I wanted the Steelers to take vs. the Bills. Instead, we all got to watch a “safe”, “predictable” and I would say “scared” approach to the game. Instead of throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the Bills, the Steelers tried to dink-and-dunk their way to victory, not taking a true shot down the field until the final drive in the 4th quarter. Just not good enough, and the playoff drought continues.

Grade: D

The Steelers made this a game at one point, but were ultimately out-classed by the Bills. One team looks like a Super Bowl contender, while the other just looked like a pretender. No matter how you cut it, you can see the clear line of demarcation between the haves and have-nots. Sadly, the Steelers fell on the wrong side of that equation.

Overall Grade: C

What grade would you give the Steelers after their playoff loss to the Bills? 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 offseason.