Sunday’s meeting between the Steelers and Colts may not count as a playoff game, but it should carry that kind of edge in Pittsburgh.
Both teams come in at 2-2, and both have plenty on the line. Indianapolis arrived a game behind the Jaguars in the AFC South, while Pittsburgh is sitting a game back of both Baltimore and Cleveland in the AFC North.
The Steelers also know the clock is ticking on the early part of the schedule, with a much tougher stretch waiting after their Week 9 bye. A loss here would hit their playoff outlook hard.
For the Colts, this is a chance to climb above .500 for the first time after an 0-2 start, and to do it in a stadium that has been a nightmare for the franchise for years.
The matchup doesn’t lack recent history, either. When these teams met in Pittsburgh in Week 9 last season, the Steelers won 27-20 behind six forced turnovers. They were in control most of the way, leading 27-7 with 6:51 remaining before the Colts pushed back with two late touchdowns.
That game was a defensive showcase for Pittsburgh. The Steelers picked off Daniel Jones three times and sacked him five times, with Alex Highsmith accounting for two of those sacks and adding a forced fumble.
Joey Porter Jr. also turned in a huge day with an interception, a sack, eight tackles and four pass breakups. Porter is now a Cowboy after he and the Steelers were unable to reach a contract extension.
Neither ground game found much room that afternoon. Jonathan Taylor finished with 45 yards on 15 carries, while Jaylen Warren was held to 31 yards on 16 attempts. Warren did score twice, though, which at least gave Pittsburgh something on the scoreboard from the run game.
The broader history tilts even more sharply toward the Steelers. Since 1974, Pittsburgh is 28-8 against Indianapolis, including postseason wins in 1976, 1995, 1996 and 2005. The Colts have not won in Pittsburgh since 2008, when Peyton Manning beat a Steelers defense that would go on to win the Super Bowl later that season.
Some of those playoff losses still sting for Colts fans. In 2005, Indianapolis entered the postseason as a Super Bowl favorite, only to see Mike Vanderjagt miss a 46-yard field goal attempt with 21 seconds left.
At the time, he was the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Pittsburgh advanced and eventually became the first sixth seed to win the title.
A decade earlier, the Steelers ended the Colts’ season after Aaron Bailey could not secure Jim Harbaugh’s Hail Mary.
The personnel picture adds another wrinkle for Pittsburgh. Steelers wideout Michael Pittman, a former Colt who caught nine passes for 115 yards against Indianapolis last year, is expected to miss several weeks after reinjuring his foot. Without him, the Steelers will need more from Roman Wilson and rookie Germie Bernard, while Aaron Rodgers could also lean on tight ends Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth.
Indianapolis has been sharp in two key areas that could matter Sunday. Inside the 20, the Colts have turned nine of their 12 red-zone trips into touchdowns, a rate that ranks sixth in the NFL. On third down, their defense has been even better, allowing opponents to convert just 14 of 48 tries, which is the fourth-lowest success rate in the league.
Pittsburgh’s numbers tell a different story. The Steelers offense ranks 28th on third down, and their defense sits 17th in red-zone efficiency. Still, there is one area where Pittsburgh has a real opening: the Colts have been poor against the run, allowing 4.8 yards per carry, which ranks 28th in the NFL.
That sets up a chance for Warren, who has piled up 220 rushing yards over Pittsburgh’s last two games. He should also be rested, with 10 days having passed since the Steelers last played.
In Other News...
Colts Fans Can Finally Cross One Trade Rumor Off The List
Marvin Harrison Jr. trade chatter had been floating around the Colts orbit for a while, but the latest update is enough to take Indianapolis out of the center of the conversation. Adam Schefter reported that the Cardinals are finalizing a deal for the wide receiver, with the move expected after this weeks games, and the buzz has only grown louder as teams around the league wait to see where he lands.
For Colts fans, the important part is the name that no longer needs to be attached to the rumor. ESPNs Stephen Holder said Indianapolis is not the team getting Harrison, even after the speculation and interest that had made the idea feel plausible. With Houston also being mentioned as a possible destination, the story now turns from whether the Colts might be involved to where Harrison ends up once Arizona actually completes the trade. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Could Be At Center Of A Huge Colts Test
Rain is in the forecast for the Colts trip to Pittsburgh, and that alone changes the feel of a game that already figures to lean physical at Acrisure Stadium. Shane Steichen has been adjusting practice for wet conditions, and with center Tanor Bortolini expected to play through a recent ankle issue, Indianapolis is trying to make sure its offensive front is ready for a sloppy afternoon.
Jonathan Taylor sits at the center of that equation. The weather could push the Colts toward a heavier dose of the run game, which puts even more pressure on Taylor to carry the offense and steady things if the passing game gets harder to trust. He has already found the end zone plenty this season, but the bigger question now is whether this is the kind of game where Indianapolis can finally keep feeding him enough to tilt the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Have Every Right To Watch Sauce Gardner Closely Now
The Colts have spent enough time watching Sauce Gardner since his arrival to know there will be a spotlight on every snap, and Week 4 only sharpened it. Against the Commanders, Gardner was candid about his own play, acknowledging that his effort was lacking at times, particularly when it came to the run game, and that kind of self-assessment lands differently when a player of his caliber is expected to anchor the defense.
Gardners response matters because Indianapolis does not need a long explanation of what he brings when he is right, only a reminder that consistency is part of the job. He said the effort he showed in that game is not who he is, and with the Colts trying to build around his presence, the next stretch will tell whether that was a one-game lapse or something the defense has to keep monitoring closely. [Read more 🡒]