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.
Losers: The Running Game
While the comeback win was something to behold, the unfortunate reality was this team still refused to run the ball. Part of this was due to the ineffectiveness of the runners. While Benny Snell seemingly started the game, he failed to record a single yard on the six carries he had. Frankly, he could have had his own spot on this list, as his struggles make it seem unlikely that the team will consider him as their starter next year.
James Conner did find some limited success on the ground, but he ultimately became a critical piece in the passing game, catching five passes for 45 yards. The unit’s struggles weren’t solely on the runners though, as the offensive line failed to provide much of a push for this group. It is concerning when this team consistently tries and fails to move the ball in short-yardage on the ground.
Finally, the coaching doesn’t help this unit either. They have a very uninspired run scheme drawn up and bail on the unit early and often. It is hard for any runner to find success with less than ten carries in a game. Yes, the comeback aspect of the win meant the running game had to take a back seat, but even once the game was close, the Steelers still refused to run. It worked this week, but the same can’t be said in the playoffs.
Winners: The Receivers
Simply put, the Steelers receivers had faded over these past few weeks. Drops were consistent from this group along with only short routes and minimal gains. The overall scheme didn’t help, but neither did the play from the receivers. It looked to be a lot of the same this week through the half, as the team was missing on anything beyond five or so yards in the passing game.
Then, in the second half, the Steelers suddenly opened it up. The receivers were running deeper routes, and Ben Roethlisberger was actually connecting on them. It was a breath of fresh air and one that this team desperately needed. Diontae Johnson struck first, as he caught a 39-yard score to get this comeback going. As well, his hands looked better than they have, and he still remained the elusive threat that he always has been.
Even more surprising was JuJu Smith-Schuster, as his recent weeks of short check-downs were the go-to but caught his 25-yard touchdown on a longer route. Add in a couple of explosive plays from Chase Claypool and suddenly this unit was really clicking. It took far too long, but this offense finally tried to move the ball with deeper passes, and it worked against this Colts defense.
Losers: The ILB’s
If you just look at the final stats from this group, it doesn’t appear to be horrible. Avery Williamson had 14 total tackles and one of the aforementioned sacks and Vince Williams added in another five tackles of his own. Watching the game though, there were some more prevalent problems that landed this group on the losers list.
For starters, the Colts did find a good deal of success on the ground against the Steelers early in the game. Jonathan Taylor found the endzone twice and ran through quite a few tacklers. While this didn’t only fall on the inside linebackers, they did have their struggles in stopping the run. As well, they also allowed a couple of catches to the Colts’ running backs.
While it didn’t end up being a killer, it was concerning to see the Steelers linebackers in coverage. More often than not, they were getting beat by Nyheim Hines short, and while it wasn’t exploited, it doesn’t mean it isn’t an issue. Hopefully, Robert Spillane will be back on the field soon and he can resume his role as the top coverage linebacker. Until then, this is a group that can easily be exploited.
Winner: Ben Roethlisberger
Over the past few weeks, Roethlisberger’s play has been nothing short of horrible. The veteran quarterback couldn’t throw deep, and even his short passes were lacking the placement for them to be effective. His knee has been very much in question, and I personally thought that he needed to rest his knee before he could return to his earlier season form.
All of this appeared to remain the same during the first half, as this passing game was once again abysmal. Then, suddenly, Roethlisberger really turned it on. He began pushing the ball deep, and while his placement still wasn’t perfect, it was some of the best deep balls he has thrown all season. The second half of the game was arguable the best film that Roethlisberger has put up all season.
While the team will hopefully rest Roethlisberger next week, he has been able to restore the faith that he built during the earlier part of the season. With a week to rest before the playoffs, he can hopefully keep up the play that he displayed in the second half of this game. He led this team back from a deep rut, and because of him, the Steelers have now clinched the AFC North.
It was a tale of two halves this week, as the Steelers appeared to struggle in the first half before really turning it on in the second half. With the division clinched, this team can focus on resting their starters before prepping for the playoffs. The winners were critical in this victory, and while the losers weren’t great to watch, it wasn’t enough to stop this team from winning this game.