The Pittsburgh Steelers were a disaster against the Indianapolis Colts. They made a strong push to win the game in the second half, but they couldn’t get the job done. Maybe the most shocking part of the game was their inability to stop the Colts at times, especially in the first half. Veteran Joe Flacco came in after Colts starting quarterback Anthony Richardson got injured and didn’t miss a beat, carving up the Steelers. Mike Tomlin believes the Steelers didn’t do well in terms of adjusting to that change at quarterback.
“I thought we got comfortable there in the third quarter,” Tomlin said of his defense via the team’s YouTube channel. “When you work all week to defend Richardson and then you get Flacco, it’s a little bit different and it probably took us a little too long to adapt and adjust in some areas.”
That was very evident the entire game, but especially early. Flacco’s stats aren’t amazing, the former Raven throwing 165 yards on 16 completions, but he was so much more effective than those numbers indicate. He threw two touchdowns to cap drives where he made play after play on third down. He managed to escape sacks, and he even ran the ball. He looked perfectly comfortable.
The Steelers had been an imposing defense up to this point, so to see 39-year-old Flacco slice and dice them almost seemed surreal. The Colts also ran the ball well, but Flacco’s play was a big part of why they won. He may be near the end of his career, but against the Steelers, he looked like he had a lot left in the tank.
Richardson was giving the Steelers fits before he left the game too. His skill set is completely different compared to Flacco’s, but that’s no excuse. If anything, it should’ve made the Steelers’ lives a little easier. Flacco is far less dangerous as a runner, and his arm strength isn’t as incredible as Richardson’s. His veteran knowledge seemed to have the Steelers chasing their own tail though.
It was a rough outing for the Steelers, both on offense and defense. The sky isn’t falling though. A lot of the mistakes they made are correctable, and even though Flacco torched them, the Steelers’ defense is still a solid group. Hopefully they review this film carefully and don’t put forth an effort like that again. Letting a backup quarterback beat up on them has to have hurt their pride.
