The Pittsburgh Steelers returned to the football field for the first time since January in the preseason Week 1 game against the Houston Texans, but things didn't go as planned and Pittsburgh ended up dropping the contest, 20-12.
While not shocking, it was disappointing to see the Steelers come out as sloppy as they did, with several mistakes in the first half of the game. Head coach Mike Tomlin even equated the showing to that of a junior varsity team.
Defensively, the Steelers no doubt had some letdowns, but they were also missing key players. There were several players who managed to stand out in the front seven, while the secondary no doubt had its issues in coverage and with tackling.
Taking everything into account, let's go position by position and give a grade to each following the Steelers' preseason Week 1 loss to the Texans.
Pittsburgh Steelers report card
Quarterbacks: B
Justin Fields completed 5-of-6 passes for 67 yards and looked good overall, but he failed to find the end zone, although a few letdowns in pass protection and two bad exchanges with center Nate Herbig certainly were the biggest causes of that.
The offense got going with Kyle Allen under center, albeit against Texans backups. Allen completed 17-of-23 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown to one pick, and he helped orchestrate two touchdown drives in total.
Running backs: B
The Steelers averaged 4.4 yards per carry as a team, which was aided by Daijun Edwards' 24-yard scamper that helped setup a touchdown he later scored, and Jonathan Ward's 20-yard run.
Najee Harris had an impressive 16-yard reception to open the game up, and Jaylen Warren ripped off a nine-yard run in one of his three carries.
Wide receivers: A+
Three Steelers wide receivers in Calvin Austin, Dez Fitzpatrick and Van Jefferson averaged 20 or more yards per reception, with Austin leading the team in receiving yards. George Pickens had a pair of receptions for 25 yards and Scotty Miller and Dez Fitzpatrick each exploded for 30-plus yard receptions.
Quez Watkins was an absolute disaster as a punt returner, but we won't hold that against what the receivers did on offense.
Tight ends: C
Steelers tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward combined for just three receptions for 10 yards and were mostly quiet in the passing game, but Heyward did find pay dirt. Darnell Washington made an impact in the run game with his blocking.
Offensive linemen: C-
There was a lot to like from Pittsburgh's rookie offensive linemen, as Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu made an impact in the run game, which averaged 4.4 yards per carry and broke off multiple 20-yard runs.
However, Nate Herbig's two bad exchanges with Justin Fields and Fautanu's two sacks allowed (the Steelers gave up three in total) were certainly blemishes that disrupted the offense in the first half. All that said, the Steelers gave up just one sack after the first quarter and Allen was able to operate the offense.
Defensive linemen: A+
The Texans couldn't get anything going on the ground with just three yards per carry, and Pittsburgh's defensive line got pretty good push in the pass-rush, also. Montravius Adams (one sack, one pass defensed) and DeMarvin Leal (three tackles, one sack) were among the biggest standouts on defense.
Outside linebackers: A
Both Nick Herbig and Jeremiah Moon flashed, with the latter grabbing one of the team's three sacks on the evening and finishing with the second-most tackles on the team with six. Herbig didn't finish off the quarterback but did grab a QB hit. Kyron Johnson was solid, also, tallying three tackles, one of which went for a loss. Jacoby Windmon chipped-in with four tackles and a pass defensed.
Inside linebackers: A
Payton Wilson was one of the stars of the show on defense on Friday night, with his seven tackles (one for loss, one on special teams) leading the team. The rookie was flying around and was quite impressive in his NFL debut. Elandon Roberts and Tyler Matakevich added one tackle each.
Cornerbacks: D+
Anthony Averett and Kalon Barnes each notched a pass defensed, and Cory Trice had a tackle for loss. But coverage was not great overall and Beanie Bishop had his issues. The Texans did just about what they wanted through the air, completing five passes of 15 or more yards, including the 34-yard touchdown strike to Tank Dell that saw a poor tackling effort from Averett.
Safeties: D
Along with Averett, Damontae Kazee also displayed poor tackling on Dell's score. Jalen Elliot had four tackles and Miles Killebrew added one. The safeties certainly played a part in the lackluster coverage on Friday night.
Specialists: D-
Cameron Johnston's 43.6 yards per punt was well below his career average of 47.3, but he did manage to boot a 50-yarder and record a tackle. Matthew Wright did not get any field goal opportunities and missed his lone extra point try.
