3 Good, 3 Bad in Colts’ Win Over Steelers

The Indianapolis Colts won in decisive fashion against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, and there’s plenty to break down from the significant victory.

The Indianapolis Colts rebounded from a bad loss in week 14 by running through the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 30-13.

The win not only helps the Colts with playoff positioning, but also highlights the grit and tenacity to succeed from Shane Steichen’s troops.

With a healthy 8-6 record on the books for the Colts, let's dive into the good and bad from the highly important victory that keeps the Colts’ playoff hopes alive.

The Good: Defensive Front

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One game removed from being crushed 34-14 by the Cincinnati Bengals and getting no sacks, the Colts' defensive front returned to form.

Whether through the pass rush or run defense, this defensive front smashed any attempt by Pittsburgh to take big shots downfield or run the ball consistently. Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph would be sacked four times, with defensive ends Dayo Odeyingbo and Samson Ebukam leading the way with 1.5 each. Tackles Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner would contribute with 0.5 each.

On the year, Ebukam leads the Colts with 9.5 sacks, with Odeyingbo behind him at 8.0. Look for these two and the rest of the defensive front to be big pieces in Indy’s quest for the postseason. 

The Bad: Special Teams

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The score is not indicative of all phases of the Colts' game. While 30-13 is a big victory, the area of the field where Steichen may have been most frustrated was special teams.

In recent weeks, kicker Matt Gay has seemed a bit off. Against the Bengals, he would go 0/1 on FGs and XPs. In this contest, while he did connect on FGs, he still went a mediocre 3/5. The most notable miss was a bad shank on the opening drive for Indy. Gay will need to clean up this inconsistency he’s seeing lately if he hopes to help this team win important games.

As for the other side, punter Rigobert Sanchez, widely regarded as one of the best in the NFL, had a rough day due mostly to one play.

Sanchez had two punts, but only one got off for 57 yards. The other was blocked at the start of the second quarter by Steelers tight end Connor Heyward. This would result in an easy TD from Trubisky to Diontae Johnson, putting Pittsburgh up 13-0 at that point.

Coordinator Brian Mason has shown flashes of genius this year, so look for him to get all the rough edges smoothed out in preparing for the Atlanta Falcons. 

The Good: The Safeties

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Trubisky struggled to adjust to Gus Bradley’s defense. Through this, he would throw two interceptions to safeties Julian Blackmon and Nick Cross. Blackmon would also recover a fumble, giving the safeties all three turnovers for the day.

Blackmon is playing the best ball of his career due to the move to strong safety. He’s snagged 87 tackles, five tackles for loss, eight passes defended, and four interceptions (team lead). Look for him to continue to step up and make plays as the Colts need all the help they can get for the next three games.

As for Cross, he made an impressive play on a deep shot to Steelers receiver George Pickens. At the end of the second quarter, Cross essentially ripped the catch away from Pickens to halt the Steelers' drive.

Is this the arrival the Colts have waited for from Cross? Look for #20 to possibly get a bump in snaps after making a play that shifted all momentum.

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The Bad: Handling Diontae Johnson

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Pickens was smothered by the Colts secondary, forcing Mike Tomlin to turn nearly all receiving attention to Johnson.

Johnson, to his credit, was solid on an offense where the QB situation was as bleak as it gets, as Trubisky was benched near the end of the game for Mason Rudolph. He would grab the aforementioned score that gave Pittsburgh a nice lead early. He’d complement that TD with four catches for 62 receiving yards.

The Colts young secondary played with JuJu Brents back in the mix, which helped cover Pittsburgh’s playmakers. Brents and company will look to stay sharp to finish 2023 strong. 

The Good: The Reserves

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Both Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion) and Zack Moss (arm) would leave Saturday’s contest and not return to the game. This spelled potential trouble, as they are the two most important offensive pieces to Steichen’s approach.

However, the reserves stepped in and played at starter levels. Running backs Tyler Goodson and Trey Sermon, as well as receiver D.J. Montgomery, got the job done when it was needed most.

Below are the numbers on the day for all three players:

• Montgomery: 2 catches, 48 receiving yards, TD
• Goodson: 11 carries, 69 rushing yards, 2 catches, 10 receiving yards
• Sermon: 17 carries, 88 rushing yards

Montgomery was recently elevated to the active roster, and veteran Isaiah McKenzie was curiously a healthy scratch for this contest. Montgomery dropped a huge would-be score on fourth down right before halftime. However, the Colts would get possession again and Montgomery would answer right back with a huge TD, the first of his career.

As for Goodson and Sermon, they combined for 28 carries and 157 rushing yards coming into this game as clear backups. Credit to this duo for grinding out a very important win and showcasing their skill sets. Also, fame must be thrown toward the offensive line and Steichen’s scheme. 

The Bad: Containing T.J. Watt

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Steelers monster pass-rusher T.J. Watt is so good that he’ll likely make a couple of huge plays, regardless of how crisp the offensive approach is toward accounting for him.

In this game, he would get two sacks and was constantly putting pressure on the pocket. Rookie right tackle Blake Freeland did all he could to stop Watt, but ultimately the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year was a disruptive factor. After this game, Watt now leads the NFL in sacks with a ridiculous 16.0.

The Colts still have the likes of Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders) and Will Anderson (Houston Texans) to deal with to finish the season, so if Freeland has to suit up in place of Braden Smith (knee), he’ll look to try and keep Gardner Minshew upright as the playoff hopes look brighter with every win for Indianapolis. 

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