Steelers vs Colts: 3 Key Matchups to watch in Week 9

Steelers running backs vs Colts run defense

On paper the Colts don’t look like they have a strong run defense–but despite the statistics, they do enough to get the job done.

In five of their 8 games this year the leading rusher was a Colt. Their defensive formula is simple: play complementary football.

They want their offense to chew clock and dominate the line of scrimmage. This puts their defense in an ideal position to play fresh, fast, and physical.

Pittsburgh, quite frankly, doesn’t know who their running back is going to be this week. Conner and Snell both went down with knee injuries late against Miami.

Luckily Jaylen Samuels is returning, but behind him, there isn’t much depth at all.

Whether Conner or Snell magically get healthy or it’s the Samuels and Edmunds show, the running backs will have to step up and play well. They cannot afford to allow the run game to phase out and expose their young QB.

I feel better now that Samuels is back but we haven’t seen Edmunds in action to this point. It will be interesting to see how this group looks come Sunday.

To make things worse, Ramon Foster and Pouncey are injured. The offensive line health situation is just as much in limbo as the running back’s.