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The Steelers clinched the AFC North with a convincing come-from-behind win at Heinz Field against a complete Colts team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North with a convincing come-from-behind win at Heinz Field against a complete team in the Indianapolis Colts.
Here are five observations from the victory.
The Pittsburgh Steelers released their final injury report ahead of the Week 16 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
There’s a mix of good and bad coming out of Pittsburgh Steelers camp about who is and isn’t likely to suit up on Sunday versus the Colts.
The bad news is that linebacker Ulysees Gilbert was placed on injured reserve for the second time this season, this time with an ankle injury. Several others are listed as questionable: Kicker Chris Boswell (groin), linebacker Marcus Allen (stinger), linebacker Ola Adeniyi (shoulder) and running back Anthony McFarland (illness). Adeniyi and Boswell did practice Friday in a limited capacity.
The great news is defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who missed two days of practice this week, was a full participant on Friday and was not on the status report. Pittsburgh also got linebacker Vince Williams back earlier this week from the Reserve/COVID-19 list. It’s unclear whether he’ll play.
Three other components on the offensive side — tight end Eric Ebron (back), running back James Conner (quad), Kevin Dotson (shoulder) and fullback Derek Watt (concussion), were also full participants and not listed on the injury report.
Here’s the full injury report from Steelers.com:
Game Status
LB Marcus Allen (Stinger) – Questionable
LB Ulysees Gilbert III (Ankle) – Out, placed in IR on 12/25
LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi (Shoulder) – Questionable
K Chris Boswell (Groin) – Questionable
RB Anthony McFarland (Illness) – Questionable
Friday, December 25
QB Ben Roethlisberger (NIR) – Full
LB Marcus Allen (Stinger) – DNP
RB James Conner (Quadriceps) – Full
FB Derek Watt (Concussion) – Full
C Maurkice Pouncey (NIR) – Full
LB Ulysees Gilbert III (Ankle) – DNP
G David DeCastro (NIR) – Full
G Kevin Dotson (Shoulder) – Full
TE Eric Ebron (Back) – Full
DE Stephon Tuitt (Back) – Full
LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi (Shoulder) – Limited
K Chris Boswell (Groin) – Limited
RB Anthony McFarland (Illness) – DNP
Steelers defense will take on a less-than-100-percent Rivers on Sunday. He suffered a turf toe injury Week 11 but has not missed one game.
Philip Rivers did what no franchise quarterback ever wants to do — jumped teams in the final years of his career.
In the same 2004 NFL draft class as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Rivers spent 16 seasons with the Chargers before signing with the Colts in free agency this offseason.
The 38-year-old has been more than reliable for the Colts this season. He’s completed 68.67 percent of his passes for 3,735 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Tomorrow, the Steelers defense will take on a less-than-100-percent Rivers. He suffered a turf toe injury Week 11 but has not missed one game.
“I can’t get him to talk with me about it,” shared Colts head coach Frank Reich on Sirius XM NFL Radio about his injury. “But I talked to the trainers, and he’s still not 100 percent, but he’s getting better every week.”
“It was a significant toe injury. The degree was pretty severe. He really fought through it hard. We’re at the stage now where hopefully we continue this upward trend.”
From our @SiriusXMNFL interview last night with #Colts coach Frank Reich, who says the degree of Philip Rivers’ turf toe injury was “pretty severe” and he still isn’t 100%, but getting better every week. Big game vs. #Steelers on Sunday. https://t.co/GAgmoJCKiq
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 24, 2020
Despite the serious injury, which often keeps a player out of action for several weeks, expect Rivers — and the Colts — to be trouble for Pittsburgh. Unlike the Steelers, the Colts have not yet clinched a playoff berth. They need a win in Pittsburgh to clinch a playoff berth with help from a Ravens or Dolphins loss.
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Heading into the final game of December, the Steelers are 1-3 and hope to clinch the division with a win over the Colts.
It’s been a loooong December, and while the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t unleashed hell yet, one more opportunity awaits.
Pittsburgh hosts an Indianapolis Colts team that is 6-2 since their Week 7 bye. The Steelers haven’t played from the comfy confines of Heinz Field since their first loss of the season.
And while the Steelers are 1-3 this December, they have a chance to make up for their losses — a triumph over the Colts would win them the AFC North, something they haven’t done since 2017.
It’s unfortunate that a team that started 11-0 has not yet clinched the division. At a time when the Steelers should be playing their best football, they’re playing at their worst. They peaked early in the season and now are in a downward spiral as evidenced by their three-game skid in which opponents exposed the offense for what it really is — unimaginative, rigid schemes that aren’t fooling anyone.
Let’s just hope that offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner has some tricks up his sleeve and his unit can run them successfully. Because if the scheme remains unchanged, the Steelers will be headed to the playoffs a Wild Card team and they’ll be one and done after what was a historic start to the 2020 season.
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