UPDATE (11:20 PM): With the Denver Broncos loss to the Detroit Lions, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now the 10th seed heading into tomorrow’s slate of Sunday’s games.
Our original story is below.
Entering a must-win matchup that many players were calling a “playoff” game entering Saturday’s road contest against the Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers folded faster than a house of cards. They dropped a 30-13 decision to the Colts, falling from No. 7 in the AFC playoff field to now out of it, currently sitting at No. 11 at 7-7.
Saturday’s matchup carried a lot of weight in the playoff picture, and the Steelers weren’t able to rise up and meet the challenge. They allowed 30 unanswered points to the Colts, blowing a 13-0 second-quarter lead, never challenging much after that early double-digit lead.
With the loss, the Steelers now find themselves behind the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Colts, who currently hold the three AFC Wild Card spots. The Steelers are also behind the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills in the “in the hunt” picture in the AFC playoffs.
Coming Saturday, head coach Mike Tomlin had stated that his team couldn’t be “fragile” against the Colts in a must-win matchup. They were fragile — and more — on Saturday, falling apart after safety Damontae Kazee’s ejection and Minkah Fitzpatrick’s injury, allowing those 30 unanswered points as the bottom fell out of the Steelers.
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky had two disastrous interceptions, the defense allowed the Colts to run the football 13 straight times and set up a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the team largely folded, putting together a third straight woeful display under Tomlin.
Though the Steelers aren’t exactly eliminated from the playoffs, the road to the postseason gets much harder, especially in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, who come to Acrisure Stadium next Saturday two days before Christmas.
