Steelers Upset Colts With Bounceback Win

Spurred on by six turnovers from their defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the seven-win Indianapolis Colts to upset the team with the previous best record in the NFL. The 27-20 win moves the Steelers to 5-3 as they extend their lead at the top of the AFC North.

The first quarter was a worry for fans as the Colts took an early 7-0 lead and, despite a fumble on a punt return from the visitors, Pittsburgh failed to get a first down on their first three drives, including failing on 4th down deep in Colts territory after the fumble.

However, the second quarter was dominated by the Steelers' defense. For a unit that has received a lot of criticism this season, and rightly so, the group stepped up. Starting with a T.J. Watt strip sack which he recovered himself, they forced five turnovers on the day (six with the Colts' fumble on the punt return). Watt's forced fumble changed the game as the Steelers found some momentum on offense, tying the game at 7-7 with a Jaylen Warren touchdown. The host's momentum continued with a Payton Wilson interception which also resulted in a touchdown on offense thanks to favourable field position as Aaron Rodgers found Pat Freiermuth for a 14-7 lead. A three and out from the Colts and then a Steelers field goal concluded a dominant 2nd quarter from Mike Tomlin's men as they went into the break with a 17-7 lead.

Last week against the Green Bay Packers the Steelers had a nine point halftime lead and ended up losing by 10 points. Two weeks ago, the defense failed to adapt at halftime against the Cincinnati Bengals and ended up giving up 33 points. This week, they made sure to stay strong through all four quarters.

The third quarter saw no points from either side as the Steelers continued to shut down Indianapolis' offense, an offense that came into the game leading the league in points per game. In fact, their unit was scoring 3.46 points per drive before this matchup, the second most by a team since 1976, bettered only by the 2007 New England Patriots.

Daniel Jones threw his second interception of the game after Wilson came off the edge on a blitz to bat the ball in the air before the ball fell into the arms of the rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer. The offense capitalised on the turnover again, with an efficient drive ending in Warren's second score of the game to give the Steelers a 24-7 lead to start the 4th quarter.

The fourth quarter was much more complicated than it needed to be. After a Colts field goal and a Steelers punt left the game in a situation where it could potentially be close, Alex Highsmith strip sacked Daniel Jones with Derrick Harmon recovering the ball at Indianapolis' 34-yard line to give Steelers fans a sigh of relief. A Chris Boswell field goal restored the 17 point lead with less than seven minutes left. The Colts did then score their second touchdown of the game on the following drive to give themselves a small chance of a comeback but the Steelers were still comfortable, leading 27-17 with four and a half minutes left.

Pittsburgh attained good field position as they recovered the Colts' desperate onside kick. However, Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson seemed determined to make the game close as he fumbled while trying to hurdle a defender, gifting the Colts the ball in a situation where he had a first down which would have extended the drive with less than four minutes remaining. Thankfully, Joey Porter Jr. stepped up to spare Wilson's blushes with an interception three plays later before the Steelers punted again on offense, but after they had killed vital time on the clock. The visitors did get the ball back to kick a field goal to reduce the deficit to seven points but another onside kick recovery from the Steelers killed the game with only nine seconds on the clock. An Aaron Rodgers kneel-down officially moved Pittsburgh to 5-3 on the season.

After Baltimore's win against Miami on Thursday Night Football to move to 3-5, and with Lamar Jackson back, this felt like a must-win for the Steelers given the difficulty of their remaining schedule compared to the Ravens.

In a big game against a 7-1 team, Tomlin's men stepped up. On defense, the turnovers will be the headline, and rightfully so, but the run defense impressed the most. Ranked in the bottom half of the league against the ground game before this week, going against an MVP candidate in Jonathan Taylor and an elite offensive line, the defensive line maintained great lane discipline to limit Taylor to 45 yards off of 14 carries. With a long run of nine yards, Taylor had his least productive game of the season.

Credit should also go to the secondary. Despite giving up over 300 yards to Jones, adjustments were made successfully as Jalen Ramsey played at safety predominantly, alongside Kyle Dugger, who Pittsburgh acquired this week from the New England Patriots, after DeShon Elliott's injury last week. The Steelers gave up 143 yards to Green Bay's tight end, Tucker Kraft last week. Linebacker Patrick Queen said that would be corrected this week as Pittsburgh prepped to face Tyler Warren, the star rookie tight end. Queen and his teammates put their money where their mouth is, limiting Warren to 26 yards. One game isn't a sign of complete change on a defense that has been bad this season, but it's a great start to a potential turnaround against what has been the best offense in the NFL this year.

The Colts had been incredibly efficient on offense all season, giving the ball away just four times in eight games. In this one, they gave it away six times, including the punt return fumble. Daniel Jones had only been sacked nine times before facing the Steelers but was taken down five times by a defensive line that was proving a point as Watt and Highsmith forced a turnover each.

While the splash play defense isn't sustainable, shown by Pittsburgh's playoff failure the last few years, it is hard to complain about that performance. The game may have ended with just a one-score margin of victory despite a six to one victory in the turnover battle in Pittsburgh's favour, but the defense made big plays, the offense was efficient (though the late-game play-calling is a slight concern), and the Steelers beat the team with the best record in the league. Roman Wilson's ridiculous hurdle was the main reason this game ended as just a one-score win.

Next up for Pittsburgh is the 6-3 Chargers in L.A., and with the Ravens looking like they have turned a corner, the Steelers can't let their foot off the gas.