Indianapolis Colts' Daniel Jones scrambles during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WRTV) — The Indianapolis Colts moved the ball effectively against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday but struggled to turn their opportunities into touchdowns in a 34-22 road loss.
Indianapolis finished with 332 yards, just 20 fewer than Pittsburgh, but scored a touchdown on only one of its three red-zone trips. The Colts instead settled for five Spencer Shrader field goals. Their lone touchdown came in the first half, when Tyler Warren scored on a one-yard run.
For head coach Shane Steichen and the Colts, the lesson was clear: moving the ball is one thing; finishing drives is what wins games.
“We’ve got to do a better job,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “I’ve got to do a better job calling plays. We’ve got to do a better job executing; credit Pittsburgh in those situations. But we’ve got to do a better job overall and get it cleaned up so we can score touchdowns down there.”
The Colts also struggled to establish the run. Indianapolis managed just 66 rushing yards, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Ninth-year guard Quenton Nelson and running back Jonathan Taylor said execution in the run game and red zone needed to improve.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge, and even though it’s a challenge, that’s when you’ve got to just find ways to squeeze out one or two extra yards,” Taylor said. “They’re a tough group, so we have to go back to the drawing board and make sure that we clean up our mistakes, things that we know we could have executed better on, and just finding ways to make more plays, especially in the red zone. We’ve got to score points in the red zone.”
“We got to execute better as 11 because I feel like I have been doing,” Nelson said. “We got to start fast and execute from the start, from the start. You can’t dip your toe in the water. You got to be ready to go from play one.”
Quarterback Daniel Jones completed 24 of 44 passes for 267 yards. He said Pittsburgh’s defensive adjustments contributed to the Colts’ red-zone struggles.
“I think they were switching some things up front with what they were doing. It’s a good defense. It’s a good front, I think everybody knows that. They’ve got good players and good schemes, so credit to them.”
The loss dropped the Colts to 2-3. Indy will look to bounce back next Sunday at home against the Titans.