Things have not gone well for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the last two weeks. Accordingly, many think Sunday’s Week 9 North Shore matchup against the Indianapolis Colts could get ugly.
The Steelers’ defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone, allowing 33 points to 40-year-old Joe Flacco. They followed that up by allowing 28 second-half points in a 35-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football.
They can’t cover, they can’t tackle, they’re inconsistent against the run, and they aren’t generating any pressure.
Now, they have to deal with one of the best offenses in football coming into town. The Colts are led by star running back Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Daniel Jones, who is having a resurgent season. Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen has out-schemed the Steelers repeatedly in previous matchups.
So, things don’t look all that good for the Black and Gold. Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt sees that as the case, too.
“The Steelers are sprawling around. They don’t know where they are. They’re in the middle of the ring. Colts, climb up on that top rope like Randy Macho Man Savage, just drop the elbow on them. You’re better right now than Pittsburgh,” Brandt says of the Colts-Packers matchup on GMFB. “You’re stronger than Pittsburgh. This game should be about Daniel Jones and how the Steelers feel about going against him and against Jonathan Taylor, who is this year’s Saquon [Barkley]. It might even be better than Saquon was last year, which sounds insane. Go up on the top rope, go into that stadium like the Packers did last week, and do what you do every single week, Indianapolis, which is drop 30-plus on someone and just have this thing done in the fourth quarter.
“The Colts right now are the best team in football. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense right now is suffocating and strangling, and they can’t do anything. The Colts will run right the hell through ’em.”
On paper, the Colts should run right through the Steelers’ defense. Pittsburgh is reeling, losing standout safety DeShon Elliott to injury, taking away their best communicator. Pittsburgh can’t cover anyone on the back end, has missed a combined 39 tackles over the last three weeks (based on charting here at Steelers Depot), and has issues stopping the run, too.
That should bode well for the Colts as Taylor comes into the game having rushed for 850 yards this season with 12 touchdowns on the ground, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
If it’s not Taylor carving teams up, it’s Jones, who has thrown for 2,062 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just three interceptions while completing nearly 72% of his passes. He’s completely turned his career around under Steichen and is playing great football.
Things don’t look good on paper for the Steelers, especially defensively. Teammates are calling out effort, roles are being reduced, and the second-highest paid defense in football has been a massive disappointment. Sunday should be a coronation.
And yet, Brandt still holds out some hope for the Steelers, a team he picked to make the playoffs ahead of the start of the season.
“This is usually the time when gravity kicks in for the Steelers and they’re magnetically attached to being that 10 and seven or nine and eight team. So this could be a shocker,” Brandt added.
He’s not betting on that happening, but he’s also not ruling it out. The Steelers tend to do this under Tomlin. They look dreadful for stretches before winning a game they have no business winning.
It could happen again on Sunday at Acrisure.
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