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The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Buffalo in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season and emerged victorious despite being 6.5-point underdogs. With the defense keeping the Bills in check and keeping play manageable at halftime even though the Steelers hadn’t put anything on the scoreboard yet, the two units reuniting with the special teams gave the Steelers a start to the game. year 1-0.
But how did the individual players rank?
For this exercise, we will be looking at Pro Football Focus (PFF) player ratings for their Week 1 performances. Before we go any further, I have to give the typical disclaimer that PFF ratings are subjective. While some people rely on them a lot, others are quite skeptical of the process in which they are determined. It is entirely up to each person to determine how much stock they put in PFF notes. For me, I often look at the scores to see if my own “eye test” matches what others considered a player’s performance.
Instead of looking at the whole team at the same time, we divide the scores in attack and defense. Then comes the offense. All players who have played at least one snap will be included and the total number of snaps for each player will be included (except for Minkah Fitzpatrick who played two snaps in victory formation). For reference, the Steelers played 58 offensive snaps in Week 1
Globally
Top 5 (whatever the position)
WR Chase Claypool: 72.8 (39 shots)
TE Pat Freiermuth: 72.8 (29 shots)
TE Zach Gentry: 71.9 (16 shots)
OT Dan Moore Jr .: 71.8 (58 shots)
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: 69.9 (53 shots)
Last 5 (whatever the position)
C Kendrick Green: 55.3 (55 shots)
WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 54.7 (3 presses)
OT Chuks Okorafor: 53.1 (58 shots)
G Kevin Dotson: 52.8 (58 shots)
QB Ben Roethlisberger: 38.0 (58 shots)
Strategist
QB Ben Roethlisberger: 38.0 (58 shots)
Despite not throwing any interceptions, Ben Roethlisberger received by far the lowest rating on the Steelers offense. While Roethlisberger was off target a few times, his score saw him become the lowest ranked quarterback in the entire NFL in every game on Sunday. While I don’t think Roethlisberger set the pitch on fire, his low score seems more of a story than a game on the pitch.
Back runners
RB Najee Harris: 55.4 (58 shots)
RB Derek Watt: 60.0 (4 presses)
The most notable number in this category isn’t the fact that Harris was the only running back with attempts to rush, he was the only running back on the pitch as he played every snap. Harris didn’t take the NFL by storm in his early days, but his opportunities were hampered early on by offensive line play and a few targeted passes from his quarterback.
Receivers
WR Chase Claypool: 72.8 (39 shots)
TE Pat Freiermuth: 72.8 (29 shots)
TE Zach Gentry: 71.9 (16 shots)
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: 69.9 (53 shots)
WR James Washington: 68.4 (15 shots)
WR Diontae Johnson: 66.1 (44 shots)
TE Eric Ebron: 62.1 (27 shots)
WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 54.7 (3 presses)
The Steelers got a good play from receivers according to PFF. With nearly all of the receivers scoring in the top half of the attack, the unit has done well as a whole, but no player has scored well above the rest. With Freiermuth and Claypool tied for first place, it’s nice to see the young Steelers players make the most of their opportunities.
What really needs to be highlighted here is PFF’s utter failure to use context when rating each piece. Here is an example that will show you why so many people reject their notes when they do things like this. Below is one game, one of only three games in the game when he was on the pitch for offense, where Ray-Ray McCloud is tasked with blocking a defensive end. For what he was asked to do, McCloud does a fantastic job. Still, for some reason, McCloud earned a blocking pass rating that was considered “below the line.” Judge by yourself :
Offensive line
OT Dan Moore Jr .: 71.8 (58 shots)
G Trai Turner: 69.1 (58 shots)
C JC Hassenauer: 60.0 (3 presses)
C Kendrick Green: 55.3 (55 shots)
OT Chuks Okorafor: 53.1 (58 shots)
G Kevin Dotson: 52.8 (58 shots)
While no one has achieved an outstanding rating on the offensive line, seeing Dan Moore Jr. at the top of the offensive linemen and in the team’s top five is encouraging for his first start. For comparison, Moore had the third highest rating of all rookie tackles in Week 1 and the fourth highest rating among rookie offensive linemen. What’s most disheartening is seeing Kevin Dotson at the bottom of the list. This is just one game, and hopefully Dotson can bounce back in week 2.
So what do you think of the above notes? Do they take the eye test? Let us know your thoughts on the Steelers’ defensive ratings in the comments below.
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