The Steelers came back to defeat the Colts. Here are the winners and losers from the game.
While this game looked like yet another disappointing loss for roughly a half of play, the Steelers rallied in the second half and played the best offensive football that they have played since week 11. When everything seemed lost, this offense finally opened up and made the necessary changes that the team needed them to make. As a result, the Steelers won the game and locked up the division. Here are the three winners and two losers from their win over the Colts.
Winner: The Pass Rush
It is no secret that T.J. Watt is a great sack artist at this point in his career. While he could find his way onto this list almost every week, the entire pass rush came together to limit the effectiveness of the Colts’ offense. It wasn’t pretty early, as Philip Rivers was carving this defense apart in the first half, but the pass rushers really took control later in the game.
In total, the Steelers compiled five sacks on the day as well as a forced fumble that was received by Mike Hilton. Even the likes of Alex Highsmith was effective despite not registering a sack. He was consistently beating his blocker and applying pressure to Rivers. As well, the defensive line powered their way through a talented Colts offensive line to keep up the interior pressure. There wasn’t a weak spot on this unit, and it was a key reason the Colts’ offense stalled in the second half.