The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their 8th game of the 2025 season, facing the Indianapolis Colts. The AFC South leader comes into the game with the best record in the NFL with seven wins and one loss.
Below are five keys I believe the Steelers will need to do to come away with their fifth win of the year.
Limit the Leader – The Colts are the surprise team of the NFL this season. A big part of their success is the offensive line and running back Jonathan Taylor. He is an MVP candidate, which is rare nowadays for a running back. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Adrian Peterson in 2012.
Taylor’s consideration at this point is legit. He is currently leading the league in attempts (143), yards (850) and rushing touchdowns (12). That has him on pace for over 1,800 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. That would put him in an area of comparison with LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawn Alexander, and Marshall Faulk, the other running back MVPs in this century.
Mike Tomlin preaches about stopping the run. That seemed to be his only thought when playing Cincinnati, which had the worst rushing team in the NFL at the time. They ran for 142 yards that day.
When Pittsburgh’s defense can control the line of scrimmage and contain the rushing game, that gives them a better chance to win. The defense has a lot of issues right now, but it starts up front.
Stop the Yards After the Catch – Quarterbacks get most of the credit for the passing game. The basic stats, including passing yards, can seem gaudy, but they can also be misleading. It doesn’t always take long throws to build up that statistic. Sometimes, it is mostly out of their hands and in the feet of others.
Last week, Green Bay tight end Tucker Kraft put on an impressive show. He had 143 yards and averaged 20.4 yards per reception. The hidden number there is how many yards he got after the catch. His receptions included just 15 yards past the line of scrimmage before the catch. That means 128 of those yards were after the catch.
The previous week, Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals had more than half of his 161 total yards after the catch (89).
Harold Fannin of the Browns had 44 of his 81 yards after the catch in week six.
You can see the pattern here.
The Colts have an impressive rookie tight end in Tyler Warren. Alec Pierce leads the NFL with 21.4 yards per catch. Michael Pittman, Jr, Josh Downs, and Adonai Mitchell are all talented receivers. The Steelers have had trouble covering this season. There have been miscommunications. There has been poor tackling. As a whole, their defense has looked slow, particularly in the second half of games.
This trend of allowing yards after the catch must not continue.
Sustain Drives For Touchdowns – The Steelers will face a familiar foe in Colts defensive Coordinator, Lou Anarumo. He was the Bengals’ defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2024. He is a highly respected coach and is creative in what he does with his players.
Anarumo will mix things up, and this Colts defense has taken to his tutelage quickly. The defense is tied for fifth in the league with 23 sacks. Eleven different players have recorded sacks, including three defensive backs. They are second in the NFL with ten interceptions by seven different players. The defense allows just 2.04 points per drive, which is 13th in the league.
Despite the sacks and interceptions, they do allow splash plays through the air. That may be a result of being in the lead and playing softer defense later in games. Regardless, they have allowed 28 pass plays of 20 yards or more. That is tied for second most in the league. They’ve also allowed 14 passing touchdowns (tied for 7th most).
Pittsburgh, at times, seems to get timid offensively once it crosses the 50-yard line. Having Chris Boswell is a crutch they lean on often. But Aaron Rodgers has the offense averaging 2.36 points per drive. That is 10th in the league and the highest average for the team since that statistic has been charted (1999). Their previous high is 2.23 in 2014, 2017, and 2018.
Here is the rub: The Colts are averaging 3.39 points per drive, the best in the league. The Steelers are going to have to get touchdowns to win this one.
Must Get Pressure – Pittsburgh defense needs to be able to rush the passer. Over the last two weeks, opposing teams have found a way to limit the pressure. Get the ball out quickly. Not only has it lit up the Steelers’ secondary, but it has also nearly eliminated any chance of getting pressure—just two sacks in the last two games.
Against the Colts, it isn’t going to be easy. The Indianapolis offensive line is ranked second overall, allowing just nine sacks through its first eight games. Left tackle Bernhard Raimann has been the lone starter to be victimized. He has allowed 5 sacks.
The protection of Daniel Jones has been impressive. Big pockets and plenty of time to throw have led to his breakout year.
Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig will have the most reps against Raimann. If given the time, they should be able to create from the defensive right side. On the other side, they may need to stunt or overload that side to try to cause confusion. Add a spy on Jones to prevent him from using his legs.
If the defensive backs can improve their coverage even slightly, it will give the pass rushers a chance.
Get Off the Field on Third (and Fourth) Down – In the first half last week, the Steelers were great on third down. The second half was a different story. Not only did the Packers convert, but they got splash plays on third down.
Indianapolis is leading the league in scoring with 33.8 points per game. They are fourth in the league, converting 45.4% of their third-down plays for first downs. They are even better on fourth down, successful on ten of 12 tries.
Pittsburgh is 24th in the league, allowing a third-down conversion rate of 41.8% and 66.7% on fourth down. The Steelers often allow big plays on second-and-long to make third downs more manageable—a frustrating display to watch week after week.
This veteran-loaded defense needs to get off the field. It’s harder to outscore other teams with the defense on the field more than the offense.
Related Items:Aaron Rodgers, Adonai Mitchell, Adrian Peterson, Alex Highsmith, Bernhard Raimann, Chris Boswell, Daniel Jones, Harold Fannin, Ja'Marr Chase, Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs, LaDainian Tomlinson, Lou Anarumo, Marshall Faulk, Michael Pittman Jr, Mike Tomlin, Nick Herbig, Shawn Alexander, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Warren
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