The Steelers trail 17-13 entering the second half, with the Colts getting the ball. Jacoby Brissett went down with a knee injury, but Brian Hoyer responded with two touchdown passes, though he also threw a 96-yard pick six to Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh’s only touchdown. Chris Boswell added two field goals to get where we currently are. Mason Rudolph has one interception, off the hands of JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The Colts opened with a solid return and a quick first down, but were held up after that, getting into a third and 19. Brian Hoyer hit that pass, but it was short of the sticks. On fourth and two, Marlon Mack cut through the front for five yards, however.
Now at the Steelers’ 41, Mack was bounced outside for no gain. Devin Bush finally had the coverage on third and four, an incompletion. The Colts once again went for it on fourth and four from the 35. On the play, Hoyer was sacked and lost the ball, Bud Dupree getting to the quarterback for his second sack of the game, now at six on the season. It would have been a turnover on downs anyway, of course.
Rudolph was hit as he threw on first down for an incompletion. On second down, Jaylen Samuels made a nice play, bouncing out of a tackle in the backfield for about six. Now third and four, it was Samuels converting on the checkdown for nine.
From the 39, Trey Edmunds got maybe two on the play. A short pass to Smith-Schuster drew a late hit penalty for a 15-yard bonus and a first down.
At the 19, Edmunds out of 22 personnel went up the middle for three. Rudolph tossed a short pass over a defender to Vance McDonald for just two yards. Now third and five, he found Samuels for the first down.
From the seven, he was stuffed for no gain on first and goal. Rudolph threw the ball away on second down. McDonald was able to punch it in for six, his first touchdown since Week Two, as the Steelers take their first lead of the game, 20-16.
A completion to Parris Campbell off play action picked up a first down for the Colts to begin their response drive. They have been moving the ball well since Hoyer has been in. Following a one-yard run, Mack broke out down the right side for a big gain, Fitzpatrick having to chase him down at the 35.
T.J. Watt nearly blew up a flip carry, but the Colts were able to get by him and pick up a yard. Devin Bush was in coverage on the incompletion, but an illegal hands to the face penalty was accepted instead for a loss of 10. On second and 19 back to the 44, they were flagged for a false start, making it second and 24, back to the 49 now. Following an incompletion, on third and 24, the Colts dropped the ball, but they wouldn’t have been in field goal range or where they would’ve gone for it on fourth down anyway.
Indy pinned the Steelers down at the one-yard line on the punt.
From the one, Edmunds was able to get seven yards, but he lost yardage on second down. Justin Houston got to Rudolph in the end zone for the safety, Alejandro Villanueva, beaten by Houston, recovering the loose ball, so it’s now 20-18.
On the safety punt, Ola Adeniyi was the second man in, jarring the ball loose, with the Steelers ultimately able to recover, giving them the ball inside the 20. Rudolph made an awkward throw into the ground on first down. His pass to Samuels lost four yards. Now third and 14 back out to the 21, a checkdown to Samuels only got to the 15 as Rudolph goes conservative in his decision-making after the safety sack. Chris Boswell got his third field goal of the game to make it 23-18, so the Steelers net a point off of the safety.
Watt wrapped up Mack for no gain. A short pass to Jack Doyle set up a third and five. Joe Haden forced an incompletion to force a three and out, their first of the game.
Taking over at the 25, Edmunds fought his way forward for just a yard. The reverse for Diontae Johns was limited to just two yards. Now third and long, Rudolph under pressure tossed the ball out to Samuels, but he fumbled it, recovered by the Colts at the Steelers’ 30.
Mack was limited to two on first down. He punched his way through the pile for seven on second down. Now third and a yard, he broke a tackle for six yards to the 15. Pressure by Daniel McCullers forced a throwaway on the next down. Now second, Haden made the quick tackle on a short pass to set up third and eight. Heyward missed a sack on Hoyer, who scrambled to set up a fourth and two. Going for it from the two, Hoyer found Chester Rogers at the back of the end zone, for a play that was far too easy. Now the Steelers trail 24-23 after going for two off of the Samuels fumble. Terrell Edmunds broke up the pass attempt.
Rudolph connected with Washington on an underthrown ball for 40 yards. Edmunds got about four yards working off the left side. A pass down the left sideline to Johnson drew a pass interference down to the seven.
On first and goal, Rudolph threw the ball out of the back of the end zone looking for Nick Vannett. Now second down, Samuels was held to no gain. He was incomplete to McDonald, as they had to settle for a field goal attempt from Boswell, retaking the lead on his fourth make, 26-4 with 6:36 to play.
Mack was limited to maybe three on first down from the 25. Hoyer found Rogers against Hilton for a first-down completion. Steven Nelson had a shoe issue that put Artie Burns in the game. Hilton then got his first sack of the year. Now second and 16, Watt got a sack to make it third and 25. A short pass was held well short of the first to force a long fourth down. On the punt, Switzer took a big hit as he fielded the ball, drawing unnecessary roughness, right shoulder to the head.
Taking over now at the 35, Edmunds fought his way for about two or three yards on first down. He barely got back to the line of scrimmage on second down. Now third and eight, Rudolph was hit as he threw for an incompletion. So a three-and-out with 2:35 to go and the Colts with a timeout in hand.
A good punt by Jordan Berry with Burns inducing a fair catch at about the 15.
Rogers let the ball go in and out of his hands on first down. Vince Williams and Dupree got pressure on Hoyer, incomplete. Third and 10, a deep ball well over everybody’s head drew a pass interference penalty, but Tomlin wisely challenged on the grounds of it being uncatchable. And yet it stood, giving the Colts the ball on the 50. An absolutely asbysmal, abysmal ruling.
After a first-down incompletion on a drop, Pascal came up with a big catch into field goal range. Tomlin again challenged, this time arguing that there was offensive pass interference on the play, but the call stood. There was OPI, but not significant enough to overturn.
From the 31 now, Mack got to the 25 on a play that should have been a loss, down to the two-minute warning. Mack got another three to set up third and one. Dupree and Heyward made the stop on third down with 1:14 to play. Adam Viniatieri hit the laces and shanked the ball wide left as the Steelers squeaked by with the victory with a series of kneeldown, getting back to .500.
