Quarterback Justin Fields is second on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth chart but with QB Russell Wilson still out, he starts his fourth consecutive game. Thus far, the formula of controlling the ball and limiting turnovers has led to three victories, but he threw his first interception last week. Broderick Jones set to start at right tackle with Troy Fautanu on injured reserve and Jaylen Warren declared out along with tight end MyCole Pruitt. The Steelers elevated RB Aaron Shampklin to the Active/Inactive roster while they signed TE Rodney Williams to the 53 last week.
On defense, the big news is Alex Highsmith out with a groin injury, Nick Herbig set to start in his place. A great pass rusher but a smaller frame than Highsmith. If I were the Colts, my running attack would be pointed straight at Herbig. Thomas Graham Jr. elevated from the practice squad.
The Colts riding with Anthony Richardson, a feast or famine player. Capable of making big plays with his big arm and legs. He also leads the NFL with six interceptions. But the Colts lost two defensive starters last week weakening their defensive line and secondary. Plus, some of their offensive linemen were banged up. The Steelers favored slightly. But this is set up to be the mythic trap game. Let’s hope it remains an old wives’ tale with the Steelers landing on top.
Gameday Experience
I returned to the Frederick Steelers Club at Xbox Golf for this game. Over 30 Steelers fans stayed until the bitter end.
On Saturday, I was at a garden center in suburban Maryland. A woman saw my Steelers hat and lit up smiling. She is not from Pittsburgh and has never attended a Steelers game but loves the Black and Gold. We had a nice chat. Her husband is from Washington D.C. and is a Commanders fan. Most of her siblings root for other NFL teams. I provided her information about the Frederick Steelers Club so she can watch the game with fellow Steelers fans.
My buddy Richard N. attended the game. Richard said, it was the “quietest tailgate ever. No music, no grilling but locals say the bar scene is legit.” Once inside the stadium, Rich heard “Here We Go” played over the speaker system as a Hoosier welcome to Steeler Nation. He said the stadium was “yinzer heavy” – and “no shit talking” from the Colts fans at all during the game.
Steelers Offense
The Steelers gave the ball away four times in a dismal performance. Twice on fumbles and two after failed fourth-down conversions. The Steelers benefitted from a lame roughing-the-passer call on third and nine on their initial possession. They converted another third and nine with a 17-yard Calvin Austin III reception. But in what became a pattern of miscues, Spencer Anderson was called for piling on after the whistle to create a third and 23 hole that forced a punt instead of the Steelers answering the Colts’ opening score. Guard James Daniels was lost to an injury on this first drive.
Indianapolis stuffed the run. The Steelers went for it on fourth and less than a yard to go. Inexplicably they used a shotgun formation, and Fields was stopped for no gain. Cordarrelle Patterson had several effective runs but was injured while making a first down midway through the second quarter.
The Steelers didn’t get going until down 17-0 and starting at their own 4-yard line after a holding penalty on a fair catch. The Steelers drove all the way to the Colts’ 15-yard line. Fields hit George Pickens with a short pass to the left sideline, but Pickens held the ball in one hand like a loaf of bread and lost the ball to the Colts at the 3-yard line.
Pickens fumble after catch #Steelers pic.twitter.com/MoYO3Wmv0g
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 29, 2024
The Steelers managed their first scoring drive with 1:14 to play in first half. They overcame two sacks and a bad call that the replay official overturned for a sideline catch to Pickens. Chris Boswell connected for a 50-yard field goal to end the half with the Steelers down 17-3.
Fields was sacked and lost the ball on the second possession of the second half. Colts rushers were coming in unblocked.
Comeback Bid
The Steelers mounted three straight touchdown drives in a comeback bid. The first one was sparked by a 38-yard pass to Pickens. Fields capped the drive with a keeper to score and pull the Steelers within 17-10.
But the Colts answered with a score. Now in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh scored again. The big play was Najee Harris catching and running for 32 yards. And Fields scrambled for another touchdown to make it 24-17.
The defense gives up a field goal. On third and two, Fields hits Pickens for 37 yards and then threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth.
The Steelers get the ball back with 2:39 remaining and a timeout. A field goal to tie or touchdown to win it. The Steelers got a first down at their own 42 with 1:43 to play when disaster struck. Fields was looking away when Zach Frazier snapped the ball. Fields recovered the ball 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage. He regained most of the yards with a pass to Harris, but he was knocked backward before stepping out of bounds, which kept the clock moving. Fields’ last pass fell incomplete with 29 seconds left. No comeback today.
Steelers Defense
The Steelers were set up to take on an inexperienced quarterback leading the NFL in interceptions. Plus, the Colts’ rushing defense ranked 32nd coming into this game. The Steelers gave up 17 points on the Colts’ first three possessions. That cannot be blamed on an inept offense making them tired. One drive was 86 yards.
Anthony Richardson threw a deep 32-yard pass to Michael Pittman Jr. over the outstretched hands of Joey Porter Jr. on the first play of the game. Then Jonathan Taylor ran at Nick Herbig off left tackle for 14 yards. Eventually Taylor scored the opening touchdown.
The Colts started their next drive from their own 14-yard line. Their first third down of this drive was on their scoring play. A short four-yard pass that showed two defenders in the end zone instead of at the goal line and not in position to stop the score. Richardson took a big shot from DeShon Elliott on this drive that hurt his hip. He fumbled but Patrick Queen could not recover the ball. He came back briefly, but after Minkah Fitzpatrick hit him, Richardson was through for the day. Enter Joe Flacco, who threw the touchdown pass. And Colts were up 14-0.
The Colts kicked a field goal on their third possession. It should have been none due to Porter dropping an interception in the end zone. Might have to conduct a paternity test to see if Porter is related to Ike Taylor. It was the second potential interception that Porter missed. The defense held Indianapolis to two punts on its remaining first-half possessions. But the Steelers started the second half down 17-3.
Defense Gives up 10 Points in the Fourth Quarter
The defense started the second half okay, forcing a punt and a long 54-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide of the goal posts. Beanie Bishop Jr. and Larry Ogunjobi sacked Flacco to put the Colts in a hole on first down that led to the missed field goal.
But then they surrendered 10 points in the fourth quarter when the offense attempted a late comeback. Cam Heyward had Flacco in his grasp on second down. But instead of a sack, Flacco threw the ball away. The Colts converted the third down. Then two plays later the officials flag Minkah Fitzpatrick for unnecessary roughness. A questionable call but it stood, and the Colts had the ball in Pittsburgh territory. They converted a third and seven. Then Flacco hit uncovered tight end Drew Ogletree to answer the Steelers’ first touchdown.
The Steelers scored again to make it 24-17. But the Steelers defense allowed a nearly five-and-a-half-minute drive to reach the 14 before it stalled. And the Colts made it a 10-point lead. The Steelers scored and it was 27-24. The defense finally held the Colts to a three and out. The key play was Heyward sacking Flacco. Nick Herbig was right there too. But the Steelers came up short. The defense needed bigger plays much earlier in the game.
Special Teams
I break special teams into three phases: Kickoffs, punting, and scoring (field goals and extra points.) Here is an overview of the special teams play during the game:
KICKOFFS
All 10 kickoffs went for touchbacks. The NFL needs to make kickoffs from the 30. Or place the ball at the 35 on touchbacks to encourage more kickoff returns.
THE STATS
| Kickoffs | KOs | RTN | TB | OB | IN25 | Pen | Start Avg |
| Chris Boswell | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | IND 30 |
| Matt Gay | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | PGH 30 |
| Kickoff Returns | KR | Yds | AVG | Long | Pen | TD |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indianapolis | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No Advantage.
PUNTING
Corliss Waitman punted three times, averaging just 34.3 yards. He netted 32.7, but two were fair caught inside the Colts’ 20-yard line. Josh Downs returned the second punt five yards before being brought down by Connor Heyward. That gave the Colts starting position at the 28.
Rigoberto Sanchez punted four times, averaged 42.5 yards and netting 35. Calvin Austin III fair caught the first one at the 7-yard line, but Jalen Elliott was flagged for holding. And the penalty went half the distance to the goal line at the 4-yard line. The Steelers were able to drive to the opposite goal line only to have George Pickens fumble it away. Another punt went out of bounds at the 25. Austin eluded a defender as he caught and returned the third punt 30 yards. Unfortunately, the Steelers squandered the favorable field position with a lost fumble.
THE STATS
| Punting | Punts | AVG | Net | TB | OB/D | IN20 | Pen | Long |
| Corliss Waitman | 3 | 34.3 | 32.7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 |
| Rigoberto Sanchez | 4 | 42.5 | 35.0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 58 |
| Punt Returns | PR | Yds | AVG | FC | Pen | Long | TD |
| Calvin Austin III | 1 | 30 | 30.0 | 2 | 1* | 30 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
*Jalen Elliot holding penalty moves fair catch from 7- to 4-yard line.
Advantage Steelers.
FIELD GOALS AND EXTRA POINTS
Chris Boswell made a 50-yard field goal at the end of the first half to make the score 17-3. He converted the three extra points in the failed comeback bid.
Matt Gay missed a 54-yard field goal attempt but made two other short ones. He added three extra points, and his volume gives him the edge.
THE STATS
| FGs and PATs | XPM | XPA | FGM | FGA | Long | 2PTM | 2PTA |
| Chris Boswell | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Gay | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
Advantage Colts
YOUR HOT TAKES DURING THE GAME
Thank you, Ross McCorkle, for keeping us up to date on the game’s Live Update and Discussion Threads. Steelers Depot respondents contributed 1,830 first-half comments and 1,538 second-half comments. Here are the top three comments from each half. I don’t know the algorithm used by Disqus but here is how they stacked it up:
The top first-half comments covered mistakes, misplays, and bad calls:
- First, Jones was unhappy with Mike Tomlin’s unsuccessful challenge: “Stupid to challenge this and not the spot on Najee’s run.”
- TheBus36 listed several miscues. “Didn’t recover the fumble. Didn’t make the end zone interception. Fumbled it away. Ball not bouncing the Pittsburgh way today.”
- And Sammy frustrated with a play call: “41 seconds LEFT AND THEY RUN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WHAT A JOKE.” To be fair, they got the first down and still had a timeout. Still time to score a touchdown except for the sack.
The top second-half comments included at least one positive observation after a dismal team performance:
- Jconeoone C was disappointed with the blocking scheme: “I don’t care what QB you have….how is there 2 free rushers immediately.”
- FranchisePunter recognized Justin Fields’ effort. “Fields has done everything in his power to win this game. He’s definitively given it everything he has.”
- Donald sums up the result of sloppy play: “Colts doin’ their best to leave the door open, but the Steelers keep slammin’ it shut.”
We met the 1,000-comment standard in both halves. But a substandard Steelers performance frustrated all of us.
CONCLUSION
The offense and defense contributed multiple miscues and poor play on the field. The coaching added some questionable play calls and challenges. Najee Harris got it right in his postgame comments. This loss not the result of one person or play. This was a team failure.
On offense, the Steelers fumbled the ball away twice. Their blocking scheme allowed unblocked defenders to penetrate the line of scrimmage and stuff the run.
A miscommunication on the most fundamental element, the snap to the quarterback, effectively negated a scoring bid at the end of the game.
The offense did overcome the special teams lapse that gave it very poor starting position at the 4-yard line but then gave the ball away at the end. Later, it was unable to capitalize on a 30-yard punt return into Colts territory.
The defense missed two interceptions and a fumble recovery opportunity. Near sacks became completed passes or at least ones thrown away. The defense ineffectively adjusted to the change in quarterbacks and allowed long drives. The inability to shut the Colts down in the fourth quarter was painful to watch.
If there was anything positive coming out of this game, the offense did demonstrate it could come back from a three-score deficit by scoring three touchdowns late in the game. But that is scant relief in view of the dismal team performance. I will mope around about this loss until Tuesday. Then it is time to start looking ahead to the Dallas Cowboys coming into town Sunday night. Here we go.
Your Song Selection
I always like to include a bit of music. Many fans think the Steelers have blown the season. But before we dismiss this team, we’ve got to be strong and keep the faith. Today it’s sorrow, but tomorrow it could be joy. We just have to keep on keeping on. Here is Keep on Keeping on performed by Curtis Mayfield (RIP).
