Tag: steelers vs colts

Steelers DC Teryl Austin with perfect 4-word explanation for last week’s loss

Every that could go wrong did for the Steelers defense last week.

Going into last week’s game with the Indianapolis Colts the Pittsburgh Steelers defense was the top in the NFL. They were supposed to be the unit that continued to carry this team as the offense continued to improve.

This was not the case. The defense came out flat and let the Colts get up 17-0 in the blink of an eye. By the time the Steelers defense got any traction, the offense was too far behind to come back.

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin talked to the media on Thursday and summed it up perfectly when he said it was “one of those days” and talked about starting off behind and not being able to get back on track.

“You’re fighting an uphill battle, especially on the road, and I think that’s what happened,” Austin said.

The Steelers defense was unable to get control of the passing game once veteran Joe Flacco came in for an injured Anthony Richardson. The defense really struggled to adjust to having the 39-year-old pocket passer in the game.

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Officials miss pivotal holding on T.J. Watt in Sunday’s loss

The officials made several questionable calls on Sunday including this non-call that cost the Steelers a touchdown.

You can’t pin the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on a single play. However, you can point to a handful of plays that had they gone the other way, could have had a massive impact on the outcome of the game.

For example, wide receiver George Pickens’ fumble was a massive blow to the offense at a crucial point and had that turned into points, the entire direction of the game might have been different.

Another play was the touchdown pass Colts quarterback Joe Flacco threw to wide receiver Josh Downs late in the first quarter. The Steelers were down seven and the Colts were facing a third and goal.

As you can see from the video below, Indianapolis right tackle Braden Smith hooked Steelers edge T.J. Watt around the waist to keep him from getting to Flacco on the play.

Had that been called, the Colts would have faced third and goal from the 14-yard line and completely changed the dynamic of that drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfl375AM9m0

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Did Justin Fields give away the Steelers starting quarterback job?

Justin Fields started off bad and finished strong against the Colts.

Earlier in the week, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reiterated the point that Russell Wilson is still the team’s starting quarterback but isn’t healthy. It sounds like he was just hedging his bets in case Justin Fields fell flat.

And Fields did just that on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. For a half that is. Fields and the rest of the Steelers offense came out completely lost on Sunday. Fields in particular appeared to have zero pocket awareness, was tentative and struggled to get through his reads. This was a huge factor in Pittsburgh trailing 17-3 at halftime.

Then, after seemingly giving away the starting job with that anemic first-half performance, Fields threw the offense onto his back in the second half and nearly brought the Steelers all the way back. Fields rushed for two touchdowns in the second half, threw for another and finished with 312 passing yards and led the team with 55 rushing yards.

Now the Steelers return home to prepare to take on the Dallas Cowboys and we have no idea what the status of Wilson will be. But if Wilson is healthy and ready to play, did Fields do enough against the Colts to keep the job?

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Steelers WR George Pickens refuses post-game interviews

George Pickens had a great game but made one huge mistake in the Steelers loss.

You can paint blame for Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Indianapolis Colts with a broad brush. It wasn’t a single play that caused the Steelers to lose 27-24 but a collection of missteps that added up to be too much for a late rally to overcome.

One of those mistakes was made by wide receiver George Pickens. With the Steelers driving, Pickens hauled in a catch inside the 10-yard line and looked like the Steelers were going to have a golden opportunity to get into the end zone.

Unfortunately, poor ball security by Pickens caused him to fumble, stopping yet another great opportunity for Pittsburgh. Pickens still led the team with seven receptions for 113 yards but that one fumble was huge. And we presume it was enough for Pickens to decide he didn’t want to answer any questions from the media after the loss.

https://twitter.com/bepryor/status/1840486357770105323

Next up for the Steelers are the Dallas Cowboys at home where they hope to get back on the winning ways.

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Steelers rally comes up short, mistakes force first loss

The Steelers fell too far behind in the first half to come back against the Colts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers dug themselves a 17-0 hole in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts and tried to dig their way out with a second-half rally. Unfortunately, unforced errors and missteps continued to bite the Steelers in the butt and the team fell to 3-1 after a 27-24 loss to Indianapolis.

In the first half, the Steelers could do very little to slow down or stop the Colts offense. Even after starting quarterback Anthony Richardson went down with a hip injury, the ageless Joe Flacco came in and shredded up the Steelers defense.

On offense, quarterback Justin Fields and the Steelers offense couldn’t get out of its own way on offense with penalties and turnovers that stalled out drives.

But to his credit, Fields came on strong in the second half, throwing the offense on his back and using his arm and his legs to three second-half touchdowns. Fields rushed for two scores and threw for one to tight end Pat Freiermuth in the second half.

Unfortunately, when you spot a team with 17 points at home due in large part to unforced errors, it is hard to be too surprised when you can’t rally. The Steelers now must return to Pittsburgh and prepare for a much better Dallas Cowboys offense in Week Five.

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Steelers RB Cordarrelle Patterson OUT vs Colts

The Steelers are almost out of healthy running backs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have almost run out of healthy bodies at running back this week against the Indianapolis Colts. They came into the game without Jaylen Warren and were forced to call up Aaron Shampklin from the practice squad.

In the first half, the Steelers lost Cordarrelle Patterson to an ankle injury who was playing well in Warren’s spot. This leaves only Najee Harris and Shampklin as the entirety of the Pittsburgh running back depth chart.

The Steelers only have 13 combined rushing yards from Harris and Shampklin and lose Patterson’s 43 yards of production.

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Steelers come out flat, Colts control the 1st half

The Steelers trail the Colts 17-3 at halftime.

The Pittsburgh Steelers came into Indianapolis hoping to beat the Colts, improve to 4-0 and quiet the critics. Most NFL pundits were considering the Steelers pretenders at 3-0 and based on the first half today, they were right. The Steelers and Colts head into halftime with Pittsburgh trailing 17-3.

Pittsburgh came out of the gate flat and listless while the Colts came out fired up and ready to play. It showed as the Colts dominated the Steelers in all phases, even after losing their starting quarterback to injury.

The Steelers couldn’t stay out of their own way in the first half with penalties, turnovers and mistakes on both sides of the football. Joe Flacco came in to replace Anthony Richardson and he looked like a young man throwing the football all over the vaunted Steelers defense.

Pittsburgh will get the football to start the second half and seemed to get some traction heading into halftime with a late field goal.

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Colts missing 6 starters versus the Steelers

The Colts defense is thin versus the Steelers this week.

It is only Week Four of the NFL regular season but the Indianapolis Colts are already pushing their depth to the limits, especially on defense. When the Colts square off with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, they will do it without six starters, five of which are on defense.

In looking at the Colts defenders that are out, it’s clear the Indianapolis defensive line is the spot for the Steelers to attack. Pittsburgh’s rushing attack is still getting up to speed and a hobbled defensive front might be the boost running back Najee Harris needs.

Here is a full rundown of the Colts starters out this week versus the Steelers.

*C Ryan Kelly (neck)

*CB Kenny Moore II (hip)

*DE Kwity Paye (quad)

*DT DeForest Buckner (ankle)

*CB JuJu Brents (knee)

*DE Samson Ebukam (Achilles)

The only Steelers starter out for this week is guard Isaac Seumalo. He is being replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Mason McCormick.

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Steelers add second rookie to starting offensive line vs Colts

Mason McCormick gets the start at left tackle tis week.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week Four, they will do so with two rookies on the offensive line. According to Steelers beat reporter Gerry Dulac, guard Mason McCormick will get the start at left guard over Spencer Anderson.

McCormick replaced Anderson in the lineup last week against the Los Angeles Chargers and played well. According to Dulac, Anderson could still rotate in with McCormick.

The Steelers selected McCormick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft out of South Dakota State. Most pundits considered the selection of McCormick a bargain for the Steelers and the pick was highly regarded as solid value.

https://twitter.com/gerrydulac/status/1840390217326293190

The Steelers also have Zach Frazier in the starting lineup as a rookie at center and if he didn’t go on IR, it’s like a third rookie, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu would be starting this week against the Colts as well.

McCormick gets the start while starting left guard Isaac Seumalo continues to inch his way back from a pectoral injury. There was some hope that Seumalo might play this week but he was ruled out late.

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NFL Network experts going for the Steelers over the Colts

NFL Network is leaning in hard on the Steelers getting the road win this week.

Week Four of the NFL regular season is upon us and the Pittsburgh Steelers are a surprising 3-0. This has been in large part due to a smothering defense, the best in the NFL, and a conservative offense that hasn’t made mistakes.

This week the Steelers travel to take on an Indianapolis Colts (1-2) that got their first win of the season last week against the Chicago Bears. The Colts are still a work in progress but have some dangerous weapons on offense NFL Network did a full preview of the game and offered up their expert picks.

Of the 10 NFL Network picks, only Kevin Patra calls for the Colts to upset the Steelers at home.

The Steelers got to 3-0 by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.

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