Losing in the NFL happens. Even “bad” losses, the games a team is expected to win but gives away. It happens to someone almost every week. That’s bad enough but it’s typical.
Getting your soul taken from you? That’s a different level of misery. That happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers last night.
Approaching their third straight loss with playoff hopes fading, the Steelers waved the white flag. Maybe not literally — I don’t want to excuse the whole team of quitting — but they were definitely out of juice. The Colts knew it, the coaches knew it, the fans knew it. After Mike Tomlin opted against kicking a 56-yard field goal down 24-13 late in the third quarter, P Pressley Harvin III managing only 22 yards on the ensuing punt, the Colts finished the job. A 14-play drive that featured 13 consecutive runs to move the ball from Indy’s 17 to the Steelers’ 13 before they finally threw the ball, incomplete on a third down that set up a field goal.
It wasn’t a knockout punch but body blow after body blow until Pittsburgh had nothing left. The Colts kept running it, the Steelers knew they were going to run it, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Indianapolis kept moving the ball on the ground.
Below are all 13 of the Colts’ runs. I’ll spare you going through every single run, but we’ll recap some of the big-picture thoughts and issues on that drive.
Watch them and weep.
Some thoughts.
– Pittsburgh came out trying to “one-up” the Colts in run personnel. On the first snap, the Colts are in 11 personnel with three wide receivers. Pittsburgh stays in its base 3-4 defense. But the center and right guard double and move NT Montravius Adams more than five yards off the ball as RB Trey Sermon runs for four yards to keep them on schedule and get the drive going.
– Same applies on the second snap, 2nd and 6. Pittsburgh again in base against 11. But the Steelers’ linebackers are, to use the Mike Sullivan term, “bowed” as in they are shifted away from the tight end. The Colts are running an RPO, their staple, and the wide receiver routes help draw the Steelers’ backers away while Sermon cuts away from the tight end split-flow action, running away from Elandon Roberts.
Cam Heyward misses the tackle and Sermon puts his foot in the ground and gets vertical for five.
– On 3rd and 1, the Colts go into 12 personnel and again blow the Steelers’ defensive line off the line of scrimmage. And they leave ROLB Alex Highsmith and RDE Keeanu Benton unblocked backside, leaving them to chase as the Colts win up front and surge ahead for the conversion.
– Overall, the Colts’ interior line created a ton of movement on their doubles, especially against Adams in the middle. Washing and driving him off the ball. On the team’s 3rd and 2 to start the fourth quarter, watch how easily the Colts secure the first level, allowing the center and right tackle to quickly and fluidly climb to the second level and cover up the Steelers’ second-level defenders. Notice that the Steelers are in dime here despite it being 3rd and 2, using Trenton Thompson as a de facto inside linebacker. I get the approach of doing something different, but Thompson is swallowed up as this becomes a 19-yard run.
Look at the feature photo above. That’s the hole the back has. No resistance, no need to get skinny. Just get downhill and run through that wide-open door.
At this point, the Colts are feeding off the energy. Their line’s finishing blocks. Their running backs are juiced. And the pile starts moving forward. Steelers aren’t getting off blocks and backs have clear running lanes.
– After Pittsburgh finally gets a first-down run stuff to set up 2nd and 11, the Colts surge ahead and churn out seven hard-fought yards to set up third and reasonable. Now facing just 3rd and 4, the Colts run it again just to stick it to the Steelers. Show that they can. The pile moves forward again, and Indy converts.
At this point, the 3rd and 4 conversion with 11:29 left, you can see the Steelers’ frustration set in. Heyward is getting moved off the ball and he’s out of gas out this point. Patrick Peterson throws up his hands. And the Colts keep running.
After being out there for 11-straight snaps and running plays, Alex Highsmith finally comes off the field while Nick Herbig comes in for his first snaps of the entire drive. He trips up Sermon for a gain of two on first down while the Steelers get a stop on second down, RB Tyler Goodson also rushing for just two. On 3rd and 6, the Colts finally throw for the first time. QB Gardner Minshew’s throw is high over WR Alec Pierce’s head and incomplete, forcing them to settle for a field goal. The drive mercifully ends.
In fairness, the game felt over at this point, stop or not. But the Colts provided the dagger here. They snatched the Steelers’ soul, showing they were the more physical team by taking it to them for 13 straight plays. The Steelers didn’t quit, they got a stop, but they generally were along for the ride.
In the first half, the Steelers’ defense played a physical brand of football. They competed, even if they wilted late in the half. It was Pittsburgh’s offense that got beat up in the first half, RB Najee Harris knocked around more than he has been all season while the Steelers’ run game did little. But in the second half, the Colts’ offense joined the party and imposed its will to the highest degree. Indianapolis ran for 127 yards in the second half. It’s why they the Colts are poised to make the playoffs while the Steelers sit at home.
