The Steelers saw their season come to a skidding halt Sunday night with a 48-37 loss to the Browns in an AFC Wild Card game.
Over the next couple of days, even weeks, the front office and coaching staff will have blunt discussions regarding what went right, what went wrong and where this team goes from here.
But we need more immediate answers. With the season now complete, putting a final grade on what the Steelers did in 2020 no easy task.
But we'll give it a shot with some season-ending grades on the units this week, starting with the much-maligned offense.
QUARTERBACKS: B-minus
In the grand scheme of things, getting 4,000 passing yards, 35 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions out of the quarterback position was perhaps more than anyone could have hoped for in 2020 with Ben Roethlisberger coming back off a major elbow surgery.
The 35 touchdown passes -- 33 by Roethlisberger and 2 by Mason Rudolph -- tie the team record for a single season set in 2018. Of course, that season, Roethlisberger also threw 16 interceptions. This year, he and Rudolph had just 11 interceptions combined.
That said, there were too many slow starts that were tied in with Roethlisberger taking time to warm up to games.
Can a full offseason help fix that? Perhaps. Or, maybe that's who he is now. Doesn't mean you can't win with him. But you have to provide him with some help.
Don't expect him to be Superman any more. Allow him to truly be a game manager.
Turnovers down the stretch were obviously a factor. After throwing four interceptions in the first nine games, he had 10 in his final seven starts, including four in the playoff loss.
That's obviously too many. But he also was constantly throwing the ball because the Steelers had little to no threat of a running game.
Rudolph showed improvement in his one start this season subbing for Roethlisberger in a meaningless regular season finale.
Third-stringer Josh Dobbs is headed for unrestricted free agency, while Devlin Hodges spent the season on the practice squad.
Bringing in another young quarterback to at least compete is a must, whether that be a high draft pick or a later one. When your starting quarterback is going to be 39, you should constantly be looking for that next guy.
If Roethlisberger decides to hang things up, then that process becomes different. At that point, then you need a veteran to compete with Rudolph for the starting job.
RUNNING BACKS: D
The worse position on the team. That's what you get when you field the lowest-paid running back room in the NFL.
Maybe that doesn't change in 2021. But James Conner will be an unrestricted free agent, while Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels and rookie Anthony McFarland showed no ability to be the feature runner in 2021 -- at least not with any kind of dynamic ability.
Conner can't consistently stay healthy. Snell doesn't have a top gear capable of hitting a hole with any speed. Samuels is a gadget piece in the passing game. And McFarland couldn't make the most of his limited chances, averaging 3.4 yards per carry, which falls to 2.9 yards per attempt if you take away his long run of 20 yards.
Much of the blame for the team's lack of a running game fell on the offensive line. And while that's fair, there also were plenty of instances where running backs either missed a hole or weren't fast enough to take advantage of the ones that were there.
Outside of Conner, the backs are also a tell. Snell, Samuels and even McFarland all had their niches and didn't fare as well when asked to play outside those roles.
That group ran for just 1,210 yards on 322 carries, an average of 3.76 yards per carry, with 10 rushing touchdowns. And that was with a long run for the season of 59 yards by Conner. And the Steelers set a franchise record for fewest rushing yards with 1,351 yards.
They also caught 60 passes, but for just 381 yards (6.4 yards per catch).
Upgrading this position is a must.
Conner likely won't find much of a market, certainly not for starter's money, so bringing him back as a No. 2 back isn't the worst idea in the world. But getting a true feature runner should be one of the team's top priorities.
Fullback Derek Watt wasn't much of a factor on offense, playing just 52 snaps. Some of that was because of availability early in the season. But the pass-heavy offense just didn't utilize the fullback much. He did average 17.5 special teams snaps per game in his 12 games played, making eight tackles.
TIGHT ENDS: C
Eric Ebron was added to this position to add another receiving target. In that regard, he did his job, catching 56 passes for 558 yards and five touchdowns.
But he'll never be a blocker and asking him to do so is folly. He's a bulked up wide receiver. Period.
His two-year, $12-million contract isn't crazy, but when coupled with the $6.5-million option the Steelers hold on Vance McDonald's contract for 2021, it wouldn't be crazy to see the team move on from one of them next season to save cap space.
McDonald is easily the better blocker, but he had 15 catches for 99 yards. The prudent move might be to decline McDonald's option and see if he can't be signed back for a cheaper deal.
Former fifth-round pick Zach Gentry spent most of the season inactive before getting hurt late in the season, while Kevin Rader, who has spent the better part of the past two seasons on the practice squad before being activated late in the year might actually be the better player.
Overall, the group was just average, not great, not bad, which probably isn't what was needed considering the Steelers were spending upwards of $12 million on the position in 2020.
WIDE RECEIVERS: B-plus
This group is young and dynamic. And along with Ebron, formed the nucleus of a passing game that produced five players who scored at least five receiving touchdowns.
That certainly made the Steelers more difficult to defend.
While JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team with 97 catches, it was for just 831 yards, an average of 8.6 yards per reception. That was easily a career-low for him but was also a result of the Steelers' shorter passing game.
But he'll be an unrestricted free agent, and at 24 going into next season, should command $15 million per season. That will prove too rich for the Steelers.
In his second season, Diontae Johnson evolved into the team's best receiver. He commanded a team-high 144 targets and caught 88 passes for 923 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing one full game and parts of two others early.
Johnson went through some issues with drops late in the season, but seemed to work his way through that. He's the one receiver on the team who can get open regardless of the coverage he faces. He should only continue to get better.
Rookie Chase Claypool, the team's top draft pick this year, caught 62 passes for 873 yards, matching Smith-Schuster with a team-high nine receiving touchdowns. He also had two rushing touchdowns.
The 6-foot-4, 238-pound rookie is a matchup nightmare, but needs to be more detailed in his route running. That was to be expected, however, considering his lack of offseason program and no preseason. He and Johnson will be the team's starters in 2021.
James Washington caught 30 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns working as the No. 4 receiver. He's typically sure-handed and made plays when used, but there were stretches when he spent too much time on the sideline in favor of No. 5 receiver Ray-Ray McCloud.
McCloud started the season strong as both an offensive piece and return man. He had a 58-yard run early in the season, and broke several long returns. But a muffed punt against the Ravens in Week 12 seemed to make him less confident as a return man, while teams got him on the ground too easily when he got the ball on jet motion as he averaged just 3.9 yards on 20 receptions -- though they were essentially runs.
He's a restricted free agent, and it will be interesting to see if the Steelers tender him an offer, allow him to move on or decline to tender him and then try to re-sign him to a lesser deal.
If Smith-Schuster does leave, will the Steelers feel comfortable allowing someone such as practice squad receiver Deon Cain to try to replace him, find another young receiver in the draft or sign a cheap veteran?
Given the team's track record, it might try to go the draft route, but this group also might benefit from a reasonably priced veteran presence.
OFFENSIVE LINE: D-plus
A D-plus? Yeah, I know, some will look at that and say that's too high.
But the Steelers allowed just 14 sacks all season. Heck, in Sunday's loss to the Browns, Roethlisberger threw the ball 67 times and was hit just four times without being sacked once.
Some of that was because Roethlisberger got rid of the football quickly. But the line also held up well against even good pass rushes.
The run blocking was below average, but the running backs didn't help that, either.
Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva will be an unrestricted free agent, as will left guard Matt Feiler and Zach Banner, who began the season as the starting right tackle before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Villanueva is 32 and likely won't be back. His play slipped considerably the past two seasons and while he was still adequate, the Steelers averaged just 3.3 yards per carry running behind left tackle.
Feiler wasn't as good at left guard as he was at right tackle in 2019, but that likely won't stop someone from offering the 29-year-old a deal in free agency the Steelers won't be capable of matching to move him back to tackle.
And the Steelers have rookie Kevin Dotson, a fourth-round draft pick, waiting in the wings as a replacement and looks like he should be very good.
Center Maurkice Pouncey's play has slipped from its All-Pro level, but he's still capable of being a good, not great, player if he wants to continue. That doesn't appear to be the case, as Pouncey could be headed for retirement, something that would clear $8 million in salary cap space, but create a big hole in the middle of the line as the Steelers don't have an adequate replacement on the roster.
David DeCastro dealt with knee and chest injuries early in the season, and they might have affected his play throughout. He just turned 31 last week, so there's some hope he's not done yet. And if both Villanueva and Pouncey both leave, the Steelers had better hope that's the case.
He would be the glue that holds things together up front in 2021.
With Banner out, Chuks Okorafor stepped in at right tackle and was fine in his first season as a starter after losing a training camp battle with Banner for that job.
Banner is the better run blocker, but Okorafor's feet make him the better pass blocker. If the Steelers don't take a tackle early in the draft, those two could be the starters next season. But acquiring another tackle -- whether that be in the first round or on Day 2 -- is a must.
Jerald Hawkins was brought back for depth after Banner went down, but showed why the Steelers gave up on him to begin with, while J.C. Hassenauer filled in at center at times but is a borderline NFL player, let alone a starter.
COACHING: C-minus
Early in the season, when the Steelers' short passing attack and running game were clicking, this grade would probably have been a B-plus or A-minus. After all, the Steelers were averaging 30 points per game at midseason.
But things fell off after that as teams adjusted to what the Steelers were doing, and the Steelers were unable to adjust.
Maybe that was because of personnel. But there were some schematic issues, as well.
Trying to use Ebron as a blocker, for example, doesn't work. And the coaching staff should have realized that.
All too often, as well, the team's backup plan to not being able to move the ball early was to allow Roethlisberger to throw the ball more.
Matt Canada was brought in as the quarterbacks coach and the team used some of his motion packages, but that's also not Roethlisberger's forte. They also didn't have a full offseason program with which to install some of those schemes.
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner takes a lot of heat, but that's been every offensive coordinator's fate since the Steelers hired Tom Moore as the first man to hold that job in team history in 1983.
The conversation between head coach Mike Tomlin and Fichtner when they get together in the coming days should be a simple one. Is Fichtner willing to admit Roethlisberger is no longer Superman. That he has to accept that and rely on his mind.
Otherwise, perhaps it's time to move on and find a coordinator who will scheme things up to make it easier on the quarterback. For too many years, the Steelers have relied on their players simply being better and winning one-on-one battles downfield.
That was great when they had Antonio Brown. He did that. But outside of Johnson, they don't have that kind of player at their disposal.
Making life easier for Roethlisberger in 2021 should be the top priority.
But make no mistake, if Roethlisberger does return he'll have a hand in what plays are run, no matter who the coordinator might be. It would be the same if Rudolph is the quarterback. You don't run plays your quarterback doesn't like.
That's a recipe for disaster.
OVERALL: C-minus
It wasn't the disaster some seem to feel, but it has to be better. Those who feel it was a disaster need only look no farther than the end of the 2019 season when the Steelers scored 10 points in each of their final three games with Hodges at quarterback.
The Steelers finished the season at 26 points per game, but that fell to just 20.7 points per game over the final seven contests.
It has to be more consistent for this team to succeed. And there are just too many three-and-outs -- the Steelers ranked 31st ahead of only the Jets in that -- for an offensive unit with the overall talent this group possesses.
Some of that was Roethlisberger's slow starts. But drops, the lack of a consistent running game and mistakes plagued the unit.
The potential is there, however, to be better with some key additions in 2021. The draft should lean heavily on that side of the ball.