Gardner Minshew Shines, Leads Colts to Massive Win vs. Steelers

Despite losing his top weapons, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew led the offense to an impressive win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was a playoff atmosphere inside of Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

The winner between the 7-6 Indianapolis Colts and 7-6 Pittsburgh Steelers would see their playoff chances greatly increase. The loser would be behind the 8-ball in a tight AFC race.

Both teams were starting backup quarterbacks on Saturday. The Colts would follow the lead of Gardner Minshew, their starting quarterback since Anthony Richardson was lost for the season in Week 5. For the Steelers, it would be Mitch Trubisky leading the offense as starter Kenny Pickett recovers from an ankle injury.

When the game was over, only one backup quarterback proved he could lead his team to a playoff berth. Minshew Mania struck again, as the Colts quarterback had one of his most impressive games of the season. The Colts won in dominant fashion over the Steelers, scoring 30 unanswered points in a 30-13 victory.

"He played really good," head coach Shane Steichen said about Minshew. "I mean, he was concise with his reads, his decisions, getting the ball out of his hands quick, and making plays. He just operates at a high level. It was awesome to see.”

Minshew stayed calm under pressure and delivered the ball to his playmakers down the field. The veteran finished the day 18-of-28 (64%) for 215 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a QB rating of 123.4. While it was not a world-breaking performance from Minshew, he kept the offense afloat despite missing key players across the board.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew (10) passes the ball in the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium / © Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The day did not start easy for Minshew and the Colts offense. Their first two drives ended in a missed field goal and a blocked punt, leading to a quick 13-0 deficit. Minshew was also sacked twice on the first two drives, leading fans to believe it would be a long evening.

But things took a turn on the Colts' third drive of the afternoon. Facing a third-and-five from midfield, Minshew rolled out to his right to buy time. With no one open, he motioned to Michael Pittman Jr. to head deep. Minshew dropped the ball into the bucket as Pittman picked up 42 yards, setting up first-and-goal.

Minshew finds 1️⃣1️⃣ for the big pickup.#ProBowlVote x @MikePitt_Jr

📺 NFLN pic.twitter.com/hGkkWKoA6M

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 16, 2023

"Man, that was huge," Minshew explained. "That was a big third down. We kind of had the initial play flubbed up. Pitt was running across. There was nobody behind. I told him to go deep, man, and he made an awesome play. This guy got separation from his guy. Those are the kind of big plays we need from him.”

“That was phenomenal, the scramble, that really got us going," Steichen remarked. "He just had to scramble out of the pocket. He just laid it, perfect ball to Pitt. It was a great play by him.”

Two plays later, after a sack of Minshew by T.J. Watt and a false start by Blake Freeland, Minshew dumped the ball off to Zack Moss, who took it 16 yards for the touchdown. The tides were starting to turn for the Colts, but then came the injuries.

Moss was brought down hard on the touchdown by a horse collar tackle, knocking him out with an arm injury. Pittman was knocked out of the game from a defenseless hit to the head by Damontae Kazee. Combine those injuries with the fact Richardson (shoulder), Jonathan Taylor (thumb), and Braden Smith (knee) were already inactive, and the Colts were missing five of their best offensive players.

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In a playoff atmosphere and down six points, it would be tough to come back without all of that talent. But Minshew and the Colts did not waiver, using the "next man up" mentality to push forward.

“Any time you lose really good players like that, nobody is going to be able to step in and replace that," Minshew admitted. "I think everybody has to be able to pick up their level of play. I think we got it from a lot of different areas today."

It turns out the Colts were just getting started. Minshew led a touchdown drive right before the end of the half with two huge plays from D.J. Montgomery. Montgomery, who dropped a would-be touchdown earlier in the game, made up for it with the touchdown to end the half.

When the Colts returned after the half, a Najee Harris fumble set up the Colts at the 18-yard line. Enter Mo Alie-Cox, as the big tight end got in on the action with a touchdown on a beautifully thrown ball from Minshew. 21 straight points from Minshew's unit as the Colts were rolling.

From there, the ground game took over. The backup duo of Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson pounded the rock behind a punishing performance from the offensive line. The two running backs combined for 157 yards on the ground as the Colts chewed up the clock and knocked the Steelers into submission.

An unusual cast was at the forefront of the Colts' victory on Saturday. They stepped up when their number was called and helped keep the Colts playoff hopes alive.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II (10) hands the ball off to Colts running back Trey Sermon (27) during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium :: © Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

“They were huge. I'm happy for all of them," Minshew said, smiling. "Getting an opportunity in this league is not an easy thing. They made the most of it today and helped us win. I don't think we'd win without them. I think that's just a testament to how they work week in and week out. We've been seeing them in practice on scout team, whatever it is. We have a lot of confidence in them. So when it was time to roll, we were all ready for it.”

While there were admirable performances all around, the Colts would not have been in this position if it were not for Minshew. The quarterback was not perfect on the day, but he made clutch plays at the right time to keep the offense moving and bring home the victory. Those timely plays in crucial moments have been a trend of Minshew's play all season long.

The Colts' season could have crumbled in Week 5 when Richardson went down for the year. But Minshew and Steichen have not let that happen, showing their leadership and resilience when others would have folded. This Colts team has a "never give up" attitude, treating every game as a must-win.

“Honestly, I kind of feel we've been on that for a little while now," Minshew elaborated. "We've needed to win these games, and we've done a great job down the stretch. We try to win one at a time. You can't look too far past it. But I think everybody was very locked in. The urgency was there. The attention to detail was there. That's why we had a good game.”

And although the playoff standings look good now, the job is not finished. The Colts still need to take care of business over their final three games. All that matters at this point in the season is stacking wins.

"I was telling people in the locker room at this point it's winning games," Minshew noted. "That's all it is. However, you've got to get that done, we're going to try to find a way."

Continue putting together performances like Saturday, and Minshew and the Colts will find a way right into the playoffs.

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