The Pittsburgh Steelers have a must-win game on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, and if there’s anything to take solace in, it’s that the Steelers have historically had a lot of success against Indianapolis. Mike Tomlin is 8-1 in his career against Indianapolis, while all-time, the Steelers are 26-6 against Indianapolis, including 5-0 in the postseason. They’ve also won eight straight against Indianapolis.
Obviously, personnel changes, and this is the first time Pittsburgh will face Shane Steichen as Indianapolis’ head coach. Steichen has led Indianapolis to a 7-6 record despite losing starting quarterback Anthony Richardson early in the season to a shoulder injury and RB Jonathan Taylor missing multiple games this season. But it is notable just how good the Steelers have been against the Colts, not losing since 2008 and having a few dominant wins in that period.
On Oct. 26, 2014, Pittsburgh put up 51 points in a 51-34 win over the Colts. It was the first of consecutive six-touchdown games for QB Ben Roethlisberger, who also threw for a franchise-record 522 yards in the win. Pittsburgh’s next matchup against Indianapolis, on Dec. 6, 2015, was even more dominant, beating a Matt Hasselback-led Colts team 45-10 at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh’s only loss against the Colts in the Tomlin era came on Nov. 9, 2008, losing 24-20 in a game in which Roethlisberger struggled, throwing three interceptions. A 68-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne in the first quarter sparked the Colts, while the Steelers managed just one offensive touchdown, which, believe it or not, used to actually be rare.
Pittsburgh’s 2020 matchup against the Colts bears some similarities to this weekend’s matchup. The Steelers entered the Week 16 matchup fresh off three straight losses, with an ugly 27-17 loss to the Ryan Finley-led Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 15. Needing a win to build some momentum, Pittsburgh struggled to start, falling behind 21-7 before rallying in the second half for a 28-24 win. It would be Pittsburgh’s last win of the season, losing to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 with Mason Rudolph under center before an ugly playoff loss to Cleveland that doesn’t need to be rehashed.
While the Steelers didn’t start 11-0 like they did in 2020, they were 7-4 and in prime playoff position before back-to-back historically bad losses to the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. They needed to win against the Colts in 2020 to try and get their season back on track, and while the end result of the season wasn’t good, they took care of business in a game they had to win to stop the bleeding.
Saturday’s game bears greater importance, as it’s a make-or-break game for the Steelers playoff hopes. At 7-6, the Steelers can’t afford to drop three straight and fall to .500 in an incredibly crowded AFC playoff race. Both teams are down to their backup quarterbacks, although Gardner Minshew II has been much better than Mitch Trubisky, who didn’t look good at all against the Patriots in Week 14. We’ll see if Pittsburgh can regroup and get it together and continue its run of success against the Colts.
