The Indianapolis Colts floundered in a road test in Pittsburgh, as they turned the ball over six times and were distinctly outclassed by a largely unimpressive Steelers offense. Indianapolis was lousy throughout all four quarters of the 27-20 defeat, with multiple key position groups playing some of their worst football of the season through nine weeks.
When outlining the keys to victory and causes of defeat, the first batch of praise must be attributed to the Pittsburgh defense. The most efficient and productive offense in the league was held to just seven points in the first half, their lowest first half point total of the season so far.
After the game, Colts head coach Shane Steichen spoke with reporters about the obstacles his team faced in Pittsburgh.
“Obviously hard to win,” Steichen said, “when you turn it over like we did. Credit to the Steelers and their defense and what they did.”
The defensive front was spectacular for Pittsburgh, recovering three fumbles and applying the pressure that factored into a pair of Colts interceptions. The Steelers also sacked Daniel Jones five times and accumulated five tackles for a loss.
The defensive success was necessary, as the Pittsburgh offense was outgained by over 100 yards despite benefitting from forcing five more turnovers than the Colts. The unit was unimpressive across the board throughout the afternoon, scoring touchdowns on three of their six red zone opportunities and converting less than half of the time on third down.
Aaron Rodgers completed 25 of 35 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown, as Calvin Austin III led the way in receptions with five for 56 yards. The Pittsburgh run game struggled to gain traction, with Jaylen Warren shouldering the vast majority of the load and totaling 16 carries for 31 yards and two touchdowns.
The Steelers left much to be desired on third down, which contributed to their difficulties in reaching the red zone. On top of that, once Pittsburgh reached the red zone, success was in no way a guarantee against a stout Colts defense. The Steelers had to fight and claw for every yard and every score against Indianapolis, but generated just enough points to claim victory.
Stealing drives by forcing turnovers proved to be a great method of shutting down the most effective offense in the NFL. Indianapolis scored on both of its red zone opportunities, but experienced a great deal of difficulty in sustaining productive drives. Six Colts drives ended with the ball in the hands of the opposing team, rendering momentum and rhythm effectively unattainable.
Jones completed 31 of 50 passes for 342 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Michael Pittman Jr. caught nine of those throws for 115 yards, while Jonathon Taylor rushed 14 times for 45 yards and a touchdown. Jones rushed for a score himself in the first quarter, as well.
The Colts turned the ball over four times in their first eight games of the season, but ended the ninth game of the season in Pittsburgh with a total of six turnovers. Relinquishing that many scoring opportunities prevented the Colts from putting points on the board, gifted the Steelers second chances offensively and disrupted any sense of momentum or rhythm that Indianapolis could have built upon.
After the game, Steichen emphasized his confidence in his offense.
“You take away the takeaways and we don’t turn the ball over,” Steichen said, “I think we’re moving the ball down the field and scoring a lot of points again, so I’ve got a ton of faith in our offense and our guys for sure.”
Fortunately for the Colts, turnovers are generally not a replicable statistical category nor are they predictors of future success or failure. Pittsburgh will likely not force six turnovers very many times this season, and Indianapolis is similarly unlikely to surrender drives to that degree throughout the rest of its games. Nonetheless, a lousy game for the Colts became a gift of a win that the Steelers will be sure to appreciate as a much improved defense prevents Pittsburgh’s losing streak from reaching a third straight week.
The Indianapolis Colts will spend the week preparing for an overseas trip to Berlin, where they will take on the Atlanta Falcons at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, remain in America for a Sunday Night Football clash with the Los Angeles Chargers at 8:20 p.m. on Sunday.
The treacherous second half of the season presses on for a Colts team that is vying to prove that they are amongst the elite Super Bowl contenders in the NFL this season. The trip to Berlin will result in either the Colts bouncing back and reestablishing momentum or tailspinning into their first losing streak of the season ahead of the bye week. Either way, the loss to Pittsburgh serves as a wake up call for one of the leaders of the AFC.
