Steelers Defense Takes Over to Beat NFL’s Best Colts

The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the Indianapolis Colts in an upset, defeating them 27-20 at home.

In an interesting change for the team, the Steelers opted to receive the ball after winning the coin toss. The team often defers when winning the toss, but elected to start with the ball this time.

A Slow Start

Rodgers seemed to have suffered an injury during the warm-up period before the game, but was the quarterback when the game began. The Steelers began the game slowly and punted after three plays.

The Colts, who boast the best offense in the National Football League, were not subject to the same issues. Quarterback Daniel Jones found wide receiver Alec Pierce for over 60 yards in the air on the drive, and the Colts' offense moved quickly until they reached the red zone. Once they got there, the team stumbled to the one-yard line, where they were able to open up the scoring on fourth and 1 with a Daniel Jones rush to make it 7-0.

Then, the Steelers had a similar outcome to their opening drive. Rodgers was unable to move the ball down the field, so the Steelers set up to punt again. During the punt, Josh Downs muffed the ball, and Brandin Echols recovered. While initially thought to have been a touchdown, Echols was ruled down at the 11-yard line. The Steelers got to the four-yard line before Rodgers was unable to connect with tight end Darnell Washington on two straight passes, including on fourth down. The Colts took over from their own four-yard line.

Then, the Steelers' defense seemed to have gotten a stop on the Colts' drive after a couple of successful conversions. On a fourth-down play, it looked as if Rigoberto Sanchez was out to punt, but the Colts decided to fake and directly snapped to Rodney Thomas II, who ran for the first down on the Colts' 28. After a couple more plays, T.J. Watt announced his presence to the game, stripping Jones of the football and recovering it himself.

The Steelers took over from their own 44 and got their first first down of the game after a 15-yard facemask penalty by Neville Gallimore on running back Kenneth Gainwell put the Steelers on the opposite side of the field. Calvin Austin kept the drive alive after Gainwell couldn't gain any yards, and wide receiver DK Metcalf dropped the second-down pass. The Colts challenged the spot of the play, as Austin was close to the line to gain, and Austin was ruled short.

The Steelers would elect to go for it, and were successful, giving them a new set of downs at the Colts' 16. Rodgers found Austin on third down, giving the Steelers more downs at the 2. A Rodgers rush got them a yard shorter on first down, and Rodgers could not find Metcalf on the second down pass. The Steelers then tied the game with a rush by running back Jaylen Warren, who ran inside for a touchdown. Boswell's kick was good, and the Steelers tied it 7-7.

The tide began to turn in the Steelers' favor further as Daniel Jones threw an interception directly into the hands of second-year linebacker Payton Wilson, giving the Steelers the ball back at the Colts' 14 after a 17-yard return by Wilson. On the second play of the offensive drive, Rodgers found tight end Pat Freiermuth just outside the end zone, and Freiermuth fell into the end zone to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead.

Finishing The Half Strong

The Colts' momentum completely shifted, and they were unable to get a first down. They punted, and the Steelers began their drive with just over two minutes to play in the first half. The Steelers moved the ball to the Colts' 48 before Jaylon Jones threw a punch, giving the Steelers another fifteen yards with 57 seconds left in the half. Rodgers found Jonnu Smith for a first down, giving the team 15 seconds with 12 yards to go.