Steelers defense answers call from critics in win over Colts

Just when the noise about their recent struggles grew to a deafening level, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense stepped up. In one of their best performances of the season, defensive tackle Cam Heyward, linebacker T.J. Watt and company frustrated the NFL's top offense most of the day in a 27-20 win on Sunday afternoon. 

Pittsburgh forced a Colts team, which entered the day with the league's second-best turnover differential at +9, to surrender six turnovers. Indianapolis fumbled three times, and quarterback Daniel Jones threw three interceptions after only throwing three in his first eight games on the year.

Generating pressure caused the turnovers

The Steelers generated pressure to the tune of five sacks, making life miserable for Jones and a Colts offense that scored 30-plus points in four straight games, including 38 in back-to-back, before their trip to the Steel City. 

Linebacker Alex Highsmith took Jones down twice, and Watt picked up his fifth sack, as he's been below his normal pace throughout most of 2025. 

A big change from Week 8 

Everything that led to the Steelers beating the Colts is what was missing in recent weeks. The criticism elevated to another level following Pittsburgh's 35-25 loss to the Packers, a game in which the defense gave up 454 total yards and failed to record a single sack or create a turnover in their favor. 

"This is horrendous defensively. This is crazy. This is unrecognizable to me. This is not the Pittsburgh Steelers," ranted former NFL coach turned ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, adding, "When you get old, you get slow. And when you're slow, you can't do anything defensively."

That was last week, though, and the Steelers defense showed up in Week 9 in a pivotal game. Pittsburgh is now 5-3, maintaining its comfortable two-game lead in the AFC North.

On the flip side, Pittsburgh still allowed 368 total yards and 26 first downs to the Colts, signaling the defense is far from elite. 

The pressure now moves to the unit showing up again when the Steelers travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in another prime-time opportunity next week.