The Steelers barely edged out a 16-13 win against a struggling Bengals team to end a roller coaster season. While the blowout which many expected never came, the Steelers' pass rush proved to be consistent and put them over the top.
Let's dig deep ...
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
• Where scheme beat team: When playing a bad team and things aren't going right because of missed opportunities, it helps to have multiple strengths to lean on as a team. While the Steelers' offense struggled against a historically bad defense, the Steelers' pass rush looked like it had all season with four sacks.
Facing Jeff Driskel, the defense knew they had an opportunity to rattle the 2016 sixth-round draft pick in just his fifth NFL start. But they weren't planning on doing it just with the standard four-man rushes; the Steelers wanted to overwhelm Driskel.
Take this blitz early in the game when they rushed L.J. Fort off the edge rather than having him drop into coverage. Fort disengages with his man and charges Driskel, forcing him to give up on his pocket and run into Anthony Chickillo and Stephon Tuitt:
But there were times when the simple four-man rushes worked. Like when T.J. Watt turned offensive tackle Bobby Hart into a revolving door as he brushed him aside by using his inside hand to fight off Hart's punch, then chopping Hart's hands down with his outside hand. The result gives him a good shot at Driskel, and Watt gets the strip-sack:
Watt has come a long way since his rookie training camp when he struggled to win hand battles with the likes of Xavier Grimble. And this team's four-man rush has grown as a unit as well. They don't just try to win as individuals in their own spots, they maintain their rush lanes and stick to the plan.
Watch how Cam Heyward got his first sack while being double teamed. It's a great effort on his part, but both Bud Dupree and Watt do a great job on the edge pinching the outside to keep force Driskel to step up, while Tuitt is driving his man into the quarterback. The only place for Driskel to go is to try and sneak past Heyward:
Eventually when you've won with various blitz looks that involve several different players and have been successful with your basic four primary rushers, offensive lines start to get overwhelmed and opportunities create themselves.
That's what happened on the team's final, and most important sack. Look at how the Steelers have seven defenders in the box, all which could be considered potential rushers. They overload to the side away from Heyward and at the snap of the ball, drop back to only rush three. Because of the alignment, the Bengals are looking for the extra rushers but end up triple-teaming Hargrave while leaving Heyward alone against Andre Smith. Heyward easily capitalized:
If this group can stick together and continue to grow in 2019, maybe they mask up other deficiencies in the Steelers' defense. Each player has their own strengths and skillset that forces opponents to study them, and the variance adds to the potential for confusion.
Tuitt is a pure mauler that will overpower a single lineman if they're slow to their spot; Hargrave will almost always be the lower lineman and get his hands inside your frame; Dupree's burst off the snap forces you to have a deeper drop as a tackle; Watt is showing the ability to win with his athleticism off the edge and now improved hand technique; and Heyward is still the constant threat to beat you with power, quickness and savvy of knowing how to take advantage of a lineman's smallest mental lapse.
There's more hope for the future of this defensive core than most will admit, but most of that comes from this group up front.
Still, the fact that this pass rush won't get a chance to shine in the playoffs is disappointing. Plenty of recent Super Bowl appearances by teams have come from hot pass-rushing defenses like the Broncos, Seahawks and Panthers. Even with the defensive struggles in 2018, the Steelers' pass rush would have given them a shot in big games.
• All about the tackling: Missed tackles were a main problem of the Steelers in 2017, as Pro Football Focus revealed with their number-crunching on that team:
Last season, the #Steelers missed a tackle on 16.1% of run plays (31st in NFL).
They added sure tackling veterans this offseason in S Morgan Burnett and LB Jon Bostic, who ranked 1st and 8th respectively at their positions in tackling efficiency. https://t.co/R2sUJejvPY
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) July 19, 2018
Because of that, our commitment this season is to keep a close eye on this facet.
Watt and Fort being the tackle machines led the way in what was a solid effort across the board. The Steelers' defense never allowed Driskel to get away with cheap underneath throws that led to scores, nor did they let Joe Mixon get loose:
Worthy of note is how Javon Hargrave was around the ball for 25 percent of the snaps he was on the field. Though he missed two, that shows he was at least winning the line battles.
• Top matchups: Each week we pick the key matchups from the game and evaluate how they impacted the results:
• JuJu Smith-Schuster/James Washington vs. William Jackson/Darqueze Dennard: With both sides missing a key starter in Antonio Brown and Dre Kirkpatrick, it was up to the 2nd and 3rd guys on each team's depth chart to win. While the Steelers were limited in the passing game, they clicked at the right moments. JuJu Smith-Schuster caught five passes on ten targets for 37 yards and a touchdown where he stiff-armed William Jackson to the ground. James Washington caught all three of his targets for 64 yards, including a 47-yard bomb. Like the Steelers' secondary against the Saints last week, the Bengals had a decent game until the big moments arrived. Advantage: Steelers.
• Joe Mixon vs. Steelers' front: No Andy Dalton, A.J. Green or even Tyler Boyd meant Mixon was going to have to carry the Bengals' offense on his back. He certainly did his part with 105 yards, but he only got 13 carries and was targeted once for a 2-yard reception. The Steelers kept the Bengals out of the end zone, but Mixon still had a solid game considering he was the only starter left that was an actual playmaker from the top of the depth chart. Advantage: Bengals.
• Steelers' pass rush vs. Jeff Driskel: The key feature of the win came from how the Steelers dominated this matchup. Without Green or Boyd, the only chance Driskel had was to have time to find receivers who could work to get open. He didn't get that, and the Bengals' offense never touched the end zone. Advantage: Steelers.
Had a big play or a decent game 
Very impressive, multiple big plays
Elite performance
Gave up a big play without redemption 
Total performance was a disappointment
Horrible, inexcusable
QUARTERBACK: C-
Against a defense that ranked 30th against the pass and dead last overall, Ben Roethlisberger dug his team into a hole and dug them back out, but the offense underperformed.
Ben Roethlisberger:
Give the Bengals' defense credit for a tough fight, but still expected the Steelers' offense to take over at some point. Roethlisberger finished with 31 completions on 45 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown and an interception. His interception was returned for the Bengals' only touchdown in the game, though he did think there was an offsides that would've erased the play. He didn't win enough with downfield throws to put up the performance that I expected, but in the end he did just enough to limp the offense to victory.
A disappointment overall, but Roethlisberger didn't lose his head when things were looking bad. His interception came because the Bengals showed Cover 2 man but switched to Cover 1 Robber, a trick the Patriots use a lot, and a middle defender that Roethlisberger thought would be in man coverage played zone and jumped the pass.
On Roethlisberger's worst days, he might've compounded that with more mistakes and forced unnecessary throws. But he never turned the ball over after that, and that allowed the Steelers to recover even when he was off his game.
RUNNING BACKS: B
The return of James Conner brought some balance back to the offense.
James Conner:
Fourteen carries for 64 yards and caught all three targets for a total of 30 yards. A solid return after missing the past three games and showed his hard-running style to help with key conversions late in the game. Steelers' plans for the position will be interesting.
Jaylen Samuels:
Didn't get much of a chance to run with two carries for two yards, but his seven receptions on eight targets for 40 yards helped the offense move the ball in key moments. Most important was the 4th-and-4 conversion when Roethlisberger gave it to Jaylen Samuels in the flat against Nick Vigil. Samuel's quick burst in space won the battle and kept the drive alive that set up a field goal that put them up 13-10.
OFFENSIVE LINE: B+
Not their best game, as Roethlisberger had to move around a lot, but they did only allow one sack and opened up lanes for Conner.
Maurkice Pouncey:
Anytime you're up against Geno Atkins and he only has two tackles, neither of which for losses, you had a good game. Atkins did get a pressure that led to a sack, but that came when Ramon Foster passed him off to Samuels and the rookie was late to help.
David DeCastro:
Still the best lineman on the team, and maintained the middle of the line to help Conner when the run was called.
Ramon Foster:
What looked like his last game with the Steelers fit the resume he's built over the years. Physical, accountable and a resource in the middle.
Alejandro Villanueva:
Strong finish to a strong season. My biggest challenge to Alejandro Villanueva this season was to be more consistent with how dominant he could be, and he's done just that.
Matt Feiler:
His performance as a backup was a welcomed spark on the right edge of the line. He's earned a decent contract being a free agent next year, and he may get it elsewhere like Chris Hubbard did.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: B
Not a booming day, but when the offense needed big plays, they showed up.
JuJu Smith-Schuster:
Didn't have huge numbers, but his touchdown against Jackson was all on his shoulders. One-on-one in space and he stiff-armed Jackson to the turf and scored the offense's only touchdown.
James Washington:
Caught all three targets and led the team with 64 yards. Came up with the longest play of the game with his 47-yard reception in the third quarter. That play featured an out-and-up that beat fourth year cornerback KeiVarae Russell where he caught the ball in stride. The set up was nice and the footwork was solid as he plants his right foot and bursts upfield:
When asked by Dale Lolley about the play, Washington talked about how it was an adjustment on the sideline.
"We went back and looked at the iPads," Washington said. "We saw that defense had been playing and came up with that on the sideline. Randy [Fichtner] did a good job and so did Ben."
Roethlisberger expressed to Hunter Homistek in the postgame press conference why he went to Washington on the play, and how happy he was for the rookie's success:
After a rocky run for most of 2018, Washington has shown flashes of the reliable receiver he showed at Oklahoma State. That's something to build off for 2019.
Eli Rogers:
Seven catches on nine targets for 57 yards is a very Eli Rogers kind of day. Converted three first downs and was the tough slot man that helped move the chains.
Ryan Switzer:
Wasn't the boost he had been in other games with one catch on three targets for just two yards.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A
Regularly created pressure and came up huge in the important moments.
Cam Heyward:
Two sacks and led the charge up front. Still a captain for this team and an important factor moving forward.
Stephon Tuitt:
Three tackles, half a sack and a swatted pass. Also got good push for most of the game and looked more like the star they need him to be for this defense to be successful.
Javon Hargrave:
Four tackles in the middle of the line and helped with gap integrity on the early downs. Nothing spectacular, but a solid game.
LINEBACKERS: B+
Despite missing Vince Williams, this group showed up to be reliable over in their spots and how Butler likes to switch the roles of his linebackers.
T.J. Watt:
He's for real; seven tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles highlight a big performance where he looked like a perfect fit. Watt finishes the season with 13 sacks, the most the team has had since Lamarr Woodley recorded 13.5 in 2009. If Watt continues the trajectory he's on, the team is looking at a major player for years.
L.J. Fort:
He was the Steelers' lone inside linebacker on the field all game and looked comfortable wherever he lined up. Led the team with eight tackles and covered a lot of ground. If nothing else, he's a good backup moving forward, but the Steelers still need a playmaker in the middle of the field.
Bud Dupree:
Dupree has developed into a consistent role player that does well against the run and uses his speed rush to maintain his lane. Three tackles and a quarterback hit are light on the stat sheet, but he's doing a lot of the right things that contribute to the defense without giving him shine.
SECONDARY: A
Though they only faced a backup quarterback in Driskel, they delivered by only allowing 95 passing yards.
Joe Haden:
The Bengals weren't coming Joe Haden's way and the one time they tested him deep on a pass to John Ross he was there to challenge it and the pass was incomplete.
Morgan Burnett:
Had a huge pass defensed early in the game against a good throw on third down and a big hit on a tackle for loss on third down. Add those to his three tackles and his being in position all game and you've got a good performance. He has clicked with this defense the past three weeks.
Coty Sensabaugh:
Two tackles and two passes defensed on a solid game. He continued to look comfortable in communication with the secondary.
Jordan Dangerfield:
Jordan Dangerfield may have only had two tackles, but his biggest contributions came in how he kept the secondary together. Missing Sean Davis, the secondary needed Dangerfield to be the ultimate relayer of signals and switches to keep the secondary coordinated. I asked him about his approach to that challenge after only playing 26 snaps all season.
"Over-communicate," Dangerfield said. "There's no such thing as too much communication. My job was to make sure everyone was on the right page on defense. It felt good to be out there because, here, we have a big thing on the 'next man up.' I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and put it on tape."
Considering Dangerfield is a free agent next year, having some tape might give him some ammunition this offseason to get a multi-year deal.
Dangerfield also had a nice hit that broke up a pass on third down that won't get recorded. Late in the fourth quarter, the Bengals had the ball at 3rd-and-7 on the Steelers' 12. Driskel threw a slant to Ross who was right at the first down marker, but Dangerfield broke quickly and delivered a huge hit to force the drop. An offsides penalty by Hargrave negated the play, but had Dangerfield not forced the drop, Heyward wouldn't have had the chance to force a sack on the next play and hold the Bengals to a field goal.
Terrell Edmunds:
Four tackles and a solid game moving around the field. Edmunds has found a place in this defense quickly and is reliable to be on his assignment if nothing else. If he can make a jump in his second year, maybe he helps with the Steelers' lack of forced turnovers.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Now that the season is over, we will begin to put together our final grades and full review of each positional group before we start our breakdowns to prepare for the NFL Draft.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers vs. Bengals, Heinz Field, Dec. 30, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS