Regular season grades for every NFL team
2nd AFC North. Pittsburgh Steelers. B+. player. 55. . 10-6
The Pittsburgh Steelers needed the help of the Buffalo Bills in knocking off the New York Jets in Week 17 to secure a playoff berth, but that shouldn’t lessen what the Steelers were able to do this season. Their 10-6 record isn’t overly impressive on the surface, but how they got to a 10-win season most definitely is.
For one, this is a team that was hit with injuries and hardship throughout the entire season. The biggest injury was obviously to star running back Le’Veon Bell who was lost for the year with a knee injury. But this Steelers team also had to play several weeks without Ben Roethlisberger, started the year with Martavis Bryant (and Bell for that matter) suspended, and still managed to stay relevant in terms of the postseason so that they could benefit from the Jets choking in the final week of the season.
Moreover, this Pittsburgh team was one of the most exciting and dangerous looking teams in the league when they were at their best this season. Their offense looked unstoppable at times and their defense played far above what was expected of them coming into the year. You can’t really give a 10-win team an A or the highest passing marks, but giving them the closest thing to that is 100 percent deserved.
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