Grades and thoughts on the Steeler win at the Dolphins

Offense....B-

Ben Roethlisberger continued to impress in the passing game completing 19 of 27 for 302 yds 2 Tds passing and a QB rating of 132.00 but he also had three fumbles and one that nearly cost the Steelers the ball game. Rashard Mendenhall had a rough time getting yards particularly after offensive line man

RT Flozell Adams hurt his ankle and could not return . Mendenhall ran 15 times for only 37 yards and did not score .The offensive line gave up three sacks and did not win the battle in the trenches for the running game. The offensive player of the game had to be WR Hines Ward who ended the game with 7 catches for 131 yards. Over all the offense played well enough to win but needed to cut down on the mistakes against a good Dolphin defense . In the end Ben and Hines made enough plays to win it.

Defense.....B

The defense was hammered by the lost of DE Aaron Smith and Lamarr Woodley causing Lawrence Timmons to move to the outside linebacker spot...They still managed a great job against the run only giving up 64 yards rushing on 21 carries . The defense had a hard time generating any pass rush on the Qb only sacking QB Chad Henne 1 time and letting him pass for 23 of 36 257 yds and a TD . The Defense did come through big time after 2 turnovers by the offense in their own territory at the beginning of the game and at the end of the game when the Dolphins tried a game winning drive only to fail to even get a first down. Overall the defense played well against the run and just good enough to win against the pass.

Special teams.....B+

The special teams started off bad with a turn over by returner Emmanuel Sanders on the opening kickoff but he made up for it by returning 5 returns for 144 yards and a 28.8 yard average and he even had a tackle on coverage teams. Daniel Sepulveda punted 3 times for an average of 47.3 and a long of 51. Kicker Jeff Reed was 3of 3 on field goals including the game winner and made all his extra points. Coverage teams played good not giving up any major returns. Over all the special teams did a good job.

Well there you have my grades and thoughts and remember it never hurts to have a little luck on your side. Don't be afraid to leave a comment and spread the word about this blog! Later Steeler Nation !