Takeaways From Colts' Humbling Loss to Steelers

– Daniel Jones had his worst day in a Colts uniform, as the quarterback committed five of Indy's six turnovers. Jones finished 31-for-50 (62%) for 342 yards with two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing), three interceptions, and two fumbles lost. Jones was also sacked five times on the afternoon.

Although the five turnovers will be charged to Jones, only one should be deemed "his fault." His first interception to Payton Wilson over the middle was certainly a poor decision. However, the other turnovers occurred on a batted ball at the line of scrimmage, a miscommunication between two receivers in the same area, and two strip sacks from behind where the offensive tackles were beaten badly.

Regardless of where the fault resides, Jones must take better care of the football moving forward, something he has done a great job of so far this season. It is more likely that Jones bounces back than today's performance becoming the norm.

– The Steelers' defense put their focus on stopping Jonathan Taylor from the jump. Taylor was only able to muster 45 rushing yards on 14 attempts (3.2 avg.). When Taylor finally started to get rolling in the third quarter, an interception of Jones and a subsequent touchdown by the Steelers made it a three-score game and forced the Colts to abandon the run. Credit the Steelers' defense for slowing down the MVP candidate and taking him out of the game.

– The lone bright spot on the Colts' offense was the receivers. Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce each tallied 115 yards for the team's first 100-yard receiving performances of the year. Josh Downs added 57 yards and a touchdown as well, but a muffed punt by Downs gave the Colts their first turnover of the day. When the offense wasn't turning over the football, the receivers continued to make plays all over the field.

– It's safe to say that Sunday was the offensive line's worst performance of the season. The unit allowed five sacks of Jones after giving up only nine sacks all season. The Colts also averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on the afternoon, as they struggled to get any push up front for Taylor.

Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith struggled the most as they faced off with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on the edge. The offensive tackles were under duress all game and did not hold up well against the Steelers' pass rush. Matt Goncalves was also not at his best, allowing pressure up the middle on multiple occasions.

While it was a very uncharacteristic afternoon for the Colts' offensive line, they are too talented not to bounce back. Tony Sparano Jr. will undoubtedly have the group prepared and motivated to bounce back against the Atlanta Falcons.

DEFENSE

– The Colts' pass rush did a great job getting after Aaron Rodgers throughout the game, bringing him down for three sacks. Laiatu Latu was especially impressive, racking up 2.5 sacks and numerous pressures on Rodgers. It was the type of dominating pass rush performance the Colts have been wanting to see from Latu, who is really starting to come on and becoming a real problem for opposing offensive lines.

– The Steelers could not get anything going on the ground, as the Colts limited the Steelers to 38 rushing yards and a measly 1.7 yards per carry average. Credit DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart in the middle of the defensive line, as well as linebackers Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt, for stuffing the Steelers' ground attack. Indy's run defense has improved tremendously as the season has progressed.

– The group that gave the Colts' defense the most trouble was the Steelers' tight ends. Darnell Washington, Pat Freiermuth, and Jonnu Smith combined for 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. No matter who was in coverage, Rodgers found a way to get it to his big targets. With the Colts facing tight ends Kyle Pitts, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle later in the season, it's an area the defense needs to clean up.

– For all of the injuries to the Colts' secondary, the group held its own on Sunday. Kenny Moore II and Nick Cross made plays all over the field, with Moore forcing the lone Steelers' turnover in the fourth quarter. Jaylon Jones, who returned from injured reserve this week, and Mehki Blackmon also made plays in coverage.

The Colts limited Rodgers to just 200 yards and a touchdown while star wide receiver DK Metcalf produced only two catches for six yards. The Colts' defense held up its end of the bargain and played well enough to win in Pittsburgh.

TURNOVERS

– Coaches and players talk about it all the time: Win the turnover battle, win the game. The Colts lost the turnover battle 6-1 on Sunday. In the first eight weeks of the season, the Colts had turned the football over only four times.

The Colts have done a great job this season protecting the football, which is why it is unlikely that a performance like this happens again. Shane Steichen's group is too talented and too disciplined to allow this to become the norm. Bad games happen to every team, but the great teams rebound and are better because of it. We'll see if the Colts can answer the bell.