GERRY DULAC grades the Steelers' effort in a 31-29 AFC wild-card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last night at Heinz Field. The report is broken down into offensive, defensive positions and coaching.

Quarterback: B
The Steelers' best hope for victory was to get a big game from Ben Roethlisberger, and they almost did -- just not the way anyone envisioned. After throwing back-to-back interceptions in the second quarter, one returned for a 63-yard touchdown, Roethlisberger rallied the team from an 18-point deficit in the second half, completing 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns to eventually take a one-point lead. He finished with a playoff-best 42 attempts, 29 completions and 337 yards.

Running backs: C
Once the Steelers got behind in the second quarter, the run effectively was eliminated from the offense. Najeh Davenport had a 10-yard run on the opening drive that led to a 1-yard touchdown, his only rushing contribution until he scored on a 1-yard run that gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead. Good thing, too, because Carey Davis dropped what would have been the go-ahead touchdown two plays earlier.

Receivers: B-
Hines Ward had catches of 31 and 33 yards in the first half, the latter on a tipped pass by TE Heath Miller. And he finished with 10 catches for a playoff-best 135 yards, his first 100-yard game of the season. Santonio Holmes had more drops (2) than catches (0) in the first half, one when a replay overturned what was ruled a 17-yard catch. But he made a nice play to break two tackles on a 37-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that started the comeback.

Offensive line: D
All there is to know about the play of the offensive line is that LT Trai Essex, filling in for injured Marvel Smith and Max Starks, was probably the best player. Roethlisberger was sacked four times in the first half, six overall, with most of the pressure coming up the middle. John Henderson, a former Pro Bowl tackle, went out with a hamstring injury on the first series and the Steelers still couldn't handle the interior. The Steelers rushed for only 43 yards on 26 carries, a 1.6-yard average.

Defensive line: C
After giving up 224 yards rushing in the first meeting, the Steelers did a nice job shutting down Fred Taylor and the Jaguars running game -- at least for two quarters. The Jaguars had 44 yards on 14 carries in the first half, with 12 yards coming on a scramble by quarterback David Garrard. Still, they finished with 135 yards on 29 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run by Maurice Jones-Drew in the third quarter. But only because Garrard had 59 yards on four scrambles.

Linebackers: B
The poor tackling that was such an issue the previous time was not a problem. Nor was the pressure on Garrard, who was sacked twice by James Harrison and rookie LaMarr Woodley and was forced into several quick throws. But ILB James Farrior was late covering Jones-Drew out of the backfield on a 43-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Farrior tried to atone with an interception to start the second half that led to a field goal. But everyone was out of the play on Jones-Drew's 10-yard TD.

Secondary: C-
CB Ike Taylor made the big play that led to a go-ahead touchdown -- an interception and 31-yard return in the fourth quarter. That atoned for his facemask penalty that gave the Jaguars a first down after Harrison's sack would have forced third-and-12 in the third quarter. But safety Tyrone Carter missed two key tackles -- one on Jones-Drew's 43-yard touchdown reception, despite having him hemmed on the sideline; and Garrard's 32-yard scramble that set up the winning field goal.

Special teams: F
Nothing really mattered except for one play -- a 96-yard kickoff return by Jones-Drew after the Steelers had taken a 7-0 lead to start the game. It was the third kick return of 90 yards or longer this season against the Steelers and it came right up the middle. The return quickly erased whatever momentum the Steelers had gathered from an 80-yard drive on the opening series. Thank goodness for James Harrison.

Coaching: D
After a nice opening drive, the Steelers never really had an answer for anything -- not on offense, not on defense and especially not on special teams, a recurring problem that Mike Tomlin has to correct. For all the time devoted to special teams, that unit proved to be the biggest deficiency the entire season. The collapse at the end of the season, losing four of the final five games, further highlights the easy schedule they managed to exploit early in the season.