Colts LB Gives Steelers and Their Fans Bulletin Board Material

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers face a daunting challenge when they take on the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 9 contest. The Colts are the top team in the AFC and the NFL with a 7-1 record, and their offensive gameplanning presents a difficult challenge for their struggling defense.

The Steelers also have to find a way to figure out a stifling Colts defense headlined by inside linebacker Zaire Franklin. Not only does Franklin have his group playing their best football, they also have no fear of coming into Pittsburgh and Acrisure Stadium and stealing a win. Speaking to the Colts media, he downplayed any type of home-field advantage or level of desperation favoring the Steelers.

“Obviously, it’s a tough team,” he said. “Obviously, their back is to the wall. We know they’re going to come out with the standard that that city demands, that they hold themselves to a high standard, so we know they’re gonna be coming out ready to play. But I thinks we’re gonna be ready to play, too.”

Frequent Flyer Against the Steelers

Franklin has been going up against the Steelers and playing in Pittsburgh annually for the better part of the last decade. Before he joined the NFL, he was a standout defender at Syracuse University. With Syracuse, he traveled to Acrisure Stadium twice to take on the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in ACC play.

After being drafted by the Colts, he continued matching up against the city of Pittsburgh as the Steelers and Colts have met four years in a row in the regular season. It’s helped Franklin feel very comfortable talking about the city and the stadium he’s about to play in.

“I’ve been there several times,” he said. “I played there almost every year since my freshman year at Syracuse. So I know all about the towels. I know all about everything they got. It’s okay. I know about the field. I’ve been in the locker room.”