It’s another rough loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they drop their third straight game with their latest loss to the Indianapolis Colts. They loss by the widest margin since Week 4 of this season, by 17 points to the Colts. Even when they’ve lost, they’ve usually kept games close within one or two possessions. However, things got out of hands for the Steelers in this one.
What’s most unusual about this loss is the Steelers defense lost control of the game. The Pittsburgh offense has struggled all year — particularly with Mitchell Trubisky replacing Kenny Pickett the past few games — but normally their defense bails them out. As of late, the Steelers defense is unable to do all the work while the offense slumps. That led to Pittsburgh giving up 30 unanswered points to Indianapolis.
After the loss, linebacker Alex Highsmith spoke out. Highsmith returned from a concussion this week and put up four tackles in the loss, which he deemed ‘unacceptable.’
“Our performance is unacceptable,” Alex Highsmith said. “We all got to take a look at the man in the mirror. It ain’t about pointing fingers. It ain’t about blaming (each other). It’s about looking at yourself and demanding better of yourself,” via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.
The Colts went on to accumulate 372 total yards with 170 rushing yards helping them control the tempo of the game and wear out the Steelers defense. Even without their starting quarterback and running back, Indianapolis came through with a dominant win. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has fallen off without their starter. They’ll have to adjust in the coming weeks if they want any shot at the playoffs.
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