The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a very difficult stretch of action currently. Last week, the matchup with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football was expected to be tough, and it proved to be as the Steelers collapsed in the second half.
Now, attention shifts to the red-hot Indianapolis Colts — the NFL’s best team — riding into town with the MVP front runner in running back Jonathan Taylor and a resurgent Daniel Jones at quarterback. Things are clicking for the Colts.
Head coach Shane Steichen has always had success against the Steelers, and even beat them last year, so things are looking quite dire — on paper — for the Steelers.
After a performance that was ripped and effort questioned against the Packers in the second half, the Steelers have an opportunity to respond at home again. How they do that remains anyone’s guess, but their backs are against the wall, and head coach Mike Tomlin needs to find a way to get his team to punch back.
Following what we did last year here at Steelers Depot, myself, Joe Clark, Ross McCorkle, Scott Brown, Troy Montgomery, Jake Brockhoff and Dr. Melanie Friedlander will answer four key questions weekly, previewing the games.
Let’s talk about the Steelers’ Week 9 matchup against the Colts.
QUESTION 1: WHO IS THE STEELERS’ X FACTOR AGAINST THE COLTS?
Josh Carney: TE Pat Freiermuth. In a matchup against Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who was once in Cincinnati, Freiermuth should have a larger role. The Colts run a lot of zone coverage, and Freiermuth is at his best against zone defenses. If he can get going in the passing game, things could really open up for the Steelers’ offense.
Joe Clark: WR Roman Wilson. Wilson had a solid performance last week against the Packers with four grabs for 74 yards. Can he build on it? That’s the question he’s going to have to answer, and against a Colts team that’s thin in the secondary, Wilson could get some chances. If he can pop with another good day, that’ll be good news for the Steelers’ offense.
Ross McCorkle: CB Joey Porter Jr. I hope the Steelers have learned their lesson about having Jalen Ramsey shadow top receivers. And Darius Slay certainly shouldn’t be in that conversation. Let’s get back to Porter handling those duties, something he’s proven capable of in the past. If he can help shut down Michael Pittman Jr., the Steelers will be in a good spot to limit the Colts’ offense. If he struggles, they are in for a long day.
Scott Brown: TE Jonnu Smith. The 2024 Pro Bowler has 134 receiving yards in seven games – or nine less than Packers TE Tucker Kraft had last Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium. Smith has stood out about as much as his surname, and that has to change. The Colts do a lot of things well. Covering tight ends isn’t one of them. Time for Smith to break out like Pat Freiermuth did a couple of weeks ago in Cincinnati.
Troy Montgomery: DL Cam Heyward. The Steelers’ run defense has a tall task in front of them this week. Jonathan Taylor has not only been the best running back this year, but he’s also arguably the leading MVP candidate. Heyward will be on the frontlines trying to slow Taylor down. After several embarrassing performances, the Steelers’ defense needs its stars to step up. That starts with Heyward, their leader.
Jake Brockhoff: QB Aaron Rodgers. With the way the Colts’ offense and the Steelers’ defense roll into this game, the Steelers will have to score a lot of points to win this one. Fortunately, they can. We all know how impressive Rodgers has been this year, and the opportunities will be there against the Colts. They’ve allowed 2,016 passing yards this year, the third-most in the NFL. The Steelers need Rodgers to be on the money to come out with a win this week.
Dr. Melanie Friedlander: Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers. It is only Pittsburgh’s eighth game of the regular season. It seems too soon to say that Rodgers will need to carry this team but that is exactly the case here. The Colts defense has allowed only four rushing touchdowns so far and limited opponents to 745 yards on the ground. The Steelers can’t abandon the run like they did in the second half of the game last week, but their scoring success will depend on Rodgers when they get to the red zone. He has to be smart though. The Colts defense has 10 interceptions through eight games.
QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE MATCHUP TO WATCH IN STEELERS-COLTS?
Josh Carney: Colts DL DeForest Buckner vs. Steelers’ iOL. If Isaac Seumalo can’t go Sunday, that could really hinder the Steelers’ interior offensive line, especially dealing with DeForest Buckner. The 31-year-old defensive lineman has been a force this season. He’s generated 32 pressures, and has 18 run stops. He’s playing some of his best football in recent weeks, too. Tough test for a young interior of the OL.
Joe Clark: Colts HC Shane Steichen vs. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin. Steichen was the Philadelphia Eagles’ OC in 2022, when the Eagles smoked the Steelers 35-13. He then gets to Indianapolis, and in 2023, schemes up a gameplan without Jonathan Taylor that allows the likes of Tyler Goodson and Trey Sermon to run all over Pittsburgh. He beat Tomlin and the Steelers again last year, even after losing starting QB Anthony Richardson. It’s fair to say that Steichen kind of owns Tomlin right now, and with the criticism toward Tomlin getting louder and louder, it’ll be a good test to see if he can silence the critics or prove them right.
Ross McCorkle: WR Roman Wilson vs. NCB Kenny Moore II. Moore is an experienced slot player, but Wilson very clearly has a speed advantage. Aaron Rodgers said he had another great practice this week, which is what led to his career performance against the Packers. This deep passing defense is vulnerable, and Wilson could play a huge role in making them pay.
Scott Brown: Whover is supposed to cover tight ends vs. Tyler Warren. The best player in college football last season is already proving to be a dude in the NFL too. That could be trouble for the Steelers. They have already allowed six TD catches to tight ends, two apiece to Kraft and Hunter Henry. Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Chuck Clark, whichever Patriots safety the Steelers next trade for, please stick to Warren like a bad reputation.
Troy Montgomery: Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. vs. Steelers’ CBs. The Steelers’ corners have had a rough couple of weeks. They’ve gotten torched in coverage, and their tackling hasn’t been great, either. Pittman should be a good stress test for them. Last year, he caught six passes for 113 yards against the Steelers. Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, and Darius Slay will need to perform better. Otherwise, Pittman could have a repeat performance.
Jake Brockhoff: WR DK Metcalf vs. the Colts’ secondary. There won’t be any one corner who will cover Metcalf all day. He could see a lot of time against Mekhi Blackmon, who’s arguably been the Colts’ most statistically consistent corner this year with a passer rating allowed of just 78.0. However, Blackmon is only 5’11”, so they could roll with 6’2″ Jaylon Jones, who seems ready to come back from injury this week. Whoever is guarding him, Metcalf needs to beat. The Steelers need to score a lot of points, an effort Metcalf has to be at the heart of.
Dr. Melanie Friedlander: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor vs. Steelers LB Patrick Queen. And Payton Wilson. And Kyle Dugger. And any other Steelers defender who has a shot at him. Taylor has been playing on another level this season, scoring three touchdowns last week with 12 rushing touchdowns and another two receiving touchdowns on the year. He seems unstoppable, breaking ankles and breaking tackles, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and over 100 yards per game. Somehow, some way, the Steelers defense needs to stop Taylor if they want to win this game.
QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST KEY TO THE GAME FOR THE STEELERS?
Josh Carney: Stop the run, make Daniel Jones beat you. Jonathan Taylor is on an MVP run right now. He’s the bets running back in football, and nobody has been able to slow him down. That’s helped Daniel Jones have a resurgence, too. The Steelers have to smash the run this week. Sell out, find a way to bottle up Taylor. Then, make Daniel Jones prove he can do it on the road. There’s not a lot of faith in the defense right now though, and that’s understandable.
Joe Clark: Force turnovers. This team is on a three-game turnover drought. They aren’t going to beat the No. 1 offense in football without making splash plays, especially with how bad this defense has been. Giving the offense extra possessions is necessary if the Steelers want to win on Sunday.
Ross McCorkle: Pick your poison and choose it wisely. The Colts are capable of winning in a multitude of ways with Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., or Tyler Warren. Pittsburgh won’t be able to sell out to stop all three, so what’s the primary plan? Shutting down the run had been working until the Packers disproved that theory.
Scott Brown: Turn Daniel Jones into a pumpkin. Danny Dimes has been this season’s Sam Darnold. The Steelers need to turn back the clock and make him play like the quarterback who got booed out of New York by Giants fans. Lose the turnover battle, and the Steelers have no chance against the Colts. Picking off Jones a couple of times would go a long way toward doing them heading off a three-game losing streak.
Troy Montgomery: Play clean. The Steelers beat themselves just as much as the Packers beat them last week. They didn’t play disciplined, getting called for several avoidable penalties. That can’t continue. Those little mistakes have piled up and really hurt the Steelers, especially on offense. The Colts do enough well. The Steelers don’t need to do them any favors.
Jake Brockhoff: Win the time of possession battle. The Steelers’ defense is going to have a really hard task ahead of them this week, and the best way to come out with a win is to keep the Colts’ offense off the field. Their defense is beatable, against both the run and the pass. If the Steelers can play at their own tempo, hold onto the ball and avoid playing catch-up, it’s a game they could win.
Dr. Melanie Friedlander: Play every down like it matters. This team – particularly the defense – seemed to give up in the middle of plays against Green Bay, which is just mind-boggling. Especially in a primetime game at home. Missing so many key players on defense and special teams, the Steelers need to bring effort on every play, execute their assignments, and play to the whistle. No jogging while a young wide receiver runs by. And no extracurricular activity between plays.
QUESTION 4: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR STEELERS VS. COLTS?
Josh Carney: I didn’t feel good about the Packers game last week, and I feel even worse about this matchup with the Colts. The Steelers defense stinks, but Indianapolis’ defense will give up plays. That could bode well for the Steelers’ offense. It could turn into a shootout, but I don’t have any confidence in the Steelers finding a way to win this game. Colts 34, Steelers 27
Joe Clark: I’m done giving this team the benefit of the doubt that they’ll “bounce back” like I did last week when I picked them to beat the Packers. This defense is flat-out bad right now. The Colts are going to run roughshod. Colts 40, Steelers 27
Ross McCorkle: Tomlin has struggled against Steichen, and nothing the Steelers have accomplished this season tells me they are ready to turn that around. Aaron Rodgers and the offense finally have a bad game trying to play catchup in a deep point deficit and things get ugly. Colts 34, Steelers 17
Scott Brown: Just when you think one team has noooo chance of winning based on what happened the previous week – or weeks in the Steelers’ case – the NFL happens. The line seems suspiciously small, which leads me to…almost pick the home team Sunday. Colts 27, Steelers 24
Troy Montgomery: I had faith last week that the Steelers would bounce back after losing to the Bengals. After seeing how poorly their defense played, I’m less optimistic. The Colts’ offense just does too much well for me to believe in the Steelers. Shane Steichen has had Pittsburgh’s number, and I don’t think that’s going to change this week. Colts 37, Steelers 23
Jake Brockhoff: I am losing more confidence in this version of the Steelers with each passing week. The defense has to be better, but there aren’t any glaring solutions and the Colts could move the ball with ease all day. The Steelers’ offense will put up some points, but I don’t think the defense will be able to get off the field often enough. Colts 38, Steelers 28
**Dr. Melanie Friedlander:**It legitimately feels like the Colts could put up 50 points against this Steelers defense that we have seen flounder so badly in the past two games and will now be missing even more starters. While I never rule out the chance that the Steelers could do the thing they have done in the past and suddenly rally against a great opponent, I just don’t see that happening this Sunday.Colts 42, Steelers 27
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