GERRY DULAC grades the Steelers' effort in the 28-17 victory against Miami last night. The report is broken down into defensive and offensive positions and coaching.

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Quarterback: All in all, a good night for Charlie Batch, who threw three touchdown passes and no interceptions as a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. Batch connected with TE Heath Miller on an 87-yard touchdown with 6:11 remaining, atoning for an earlier gaffe in which he mishandled a snap on first down at the Dolphins' 1.
GRADE: B

Running Back: Willie Parker had his third consecutive 100-yard game in the regular season, finishing with 115 on a career-high 29 carries. Included was a 32-yarder to the Miami 33 that set up the second touchdown in the second quarter. Parker had 57 yards rushing in the first half. The Steelers finished with 145 yards rushing on 35 attempts.
GRADE: B+

Receivers: Miller made the game's big play, catching a 17-yard pass from Batch and turning it into an 87-yard touchdown with 6:11 remaining. WR Nate Washington made a nice leaping catch at the pylon on a 27-yard TD pass from Batch. Hines Ward made his first catch of 2006 a big one -- a 7-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.
GRADE: B+

Offensive Line: The line did a decent job keeping the pressure off Batch in the first half, though he was hurried and sacked twice in the second half. Also, with the exception of Parker's 32-yard run, the backs had just 24 yards rushing in the first half. But when they had to clear space for Parker in the fourth quarter, they did.
GRADE: C

Defensive Line: RB Ronnie Brown had just 9 yards on eight carries as the Dolphins were held to just 11 yards rushing in the first half. However, Brown scored on a 2-yard run up the middle in the second quarter and got to the edge on a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Still, the line held the Dolphins to 43 yards rushing on 18 carries.
GRADE: B

Linebackers: It was a quiet night for the linebackers, until OLB Joey Porter intercepted a Daunte Culpepper pass and returned the pick 42 yards for the final score. Porter also had a sack on the second series. ILB James Farrior hurried QB Daunte Culpepper into a couple bad throws and had 7 tackles, including a sack. OLB Clark Haggans had seven tackles.
GRADE: C+

Secondary: S Troy Polamalu had a team-high nine tackles and intercepted a Culpepper pass at the Miami 45 with 5:51 remaining. CB Ike Taylor followed Pro Bowl WR Chris Chambers all over the field and held him without a catch in the first half. But Chambers had four catches for 40 yards in the second half.
GRADE: C

Special Teams: Ryan Clark missed the first tackle on Wes Welker's 47-yard punt return to the Steelers' 15, setting up the Dolphins' first touchdown. James Harrison's holding penalty negated Ricardo Colclough's 62-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. P Chris Gardocki did a nice job in the first half, averaging 49.5 yards on four punts, but K Jeff Reed yanked a 44-yard field goal with 3:09 left.
GRADE: F

Coaching: Coach Bill Cowher showed he was not going to be passive early, converting a fourth-and-1 at the Dolphins' 39 that allowed the Steelers to score their first touchdown. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau did a good job mixing blitzes and bringing different players, hurrying the usually accurate Culpepper into many bad throws. But the special teams were sloppy and out of sync.
GRADE: C