2 winners (and 5 losers) from Steelers' frustrating loss to the Colts

The Steelers winning streak came to an abrupt end, and the Colts proved to be the team to best them. It was a disgusting first half overall, and while the team adjusted after halftime, it wasn’t enough to overcome an early deficit. It was ugly at times from every front.

That means the loser's circle finally gets the higher overall nod of people this week. Even with the ugly wins it always seemed like the winners had more notable names attached to them. Not this week though, as the sluggish start has left plenty of complaints. Here are the 2 winners and 5 losers from the Steelers first loss to the Colts.

Steelers winners:

Justin Fields

Justin Fields finds himself once again a winner. The early start was bad, but a lot of that can be attributed to coaching. He also had some sloppy plays, but he didn’t let the negatives stack. With the offense floundering, he shouldered the load and brought this team back in the second half. This game would have been a blowout had it not been for him.

Cordarrelle Patterson

Despite the drive ending in a George Pickens fumble, Cordarrelle Patterson gave the team some life in the second quarter. It was short-lived, as an ankle injury knocked him out of the game, but he ran hard and made some big plays. He and a healthy Jaylen Warren should make up a really effective backfield.

Steelers losers:

Najee Harris

I get it, the line is far from perfect and is really banged up right now, but Najee Harris just hasn’t been all that effective as a pro running back. Patterson made the most of some small holes, but Harris lacks the speed to capitalize. He hasn’t been the hammer the team wanted this year, and not inking him to a new deal looks like the right choice.

Joey Porter Jr.

Easily the worst game of his young career. He had the usual penalties which you can live with if he is shutting down receivers. The issue was he was actually getting picked on in this game. Add in a dropped interception and he looked like a completely different player than what you would normally expect.

Coaching

I’m lumping everyone in here, although Teryl Austin did get his defense back on track and is the least deserving of criticism. That said, in the first half there was no counter to the Colts' offense as they marched down the field with ease on almost every drive.

Arthur Smith had the worst game of his young Steelers career. The offense came out extremely reserved, as should be expected at this point. The issue was the defense didn’t bail him out and instead put the team in a deficit early. Smith failed to counter that issue though, leading to a forgettable first half,

And finally, Mike Tomlin also finds himself on the loser's board. The team as a whole looked pathetic early in the game, and his streak of being horrible at coaching challenges, unfortunately, lives on. Some puzzling decisions added to the frustration and an overall lackluster day for this staff.