The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer perfecting, having dropped a 27-24 decision to the Indianapolis Colts on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium. This was a wild one:
- Players from both teams left the field early and often with injuries
- Big special teams plays feigned changes of momentum, only to fizzle away
- The Steelers were down for the count several times but kept fighting back
In the end, the Steelers came up short for one simple reason: Time and time again, they proved they couldn’t get out of their own way.
George Pickens fumbles at the 5 yard line. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
First Half Walk Off Goes as Scripted. But for Who?
The Steelers waltzed into Lucas Oil Stadium having decimated the NFL’s leading rushing attack and leading rusher last week against the Chargers.
The Colts have a strong ground attack and a star running back of their own. On the flip side, the Steelers rushing attack appeared to find its legs last week, and the Colts run defense had struggled.
- Was a walk off in the making?
For the first half it was, but not for the Steelers. Anthony Richardson opened with a 32 yard bullet to Michael Pittman Jr. and on the next snap Jonathan Taylor ripped off a 14 yard run. In the blink of an eye Indianapolis was 4 yard’s shy of Pittsburgh’s Red Zone.
Jonathan Taylor runs for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
It only took the Colts six more plays to find the end zone and, ominously, they round out those yards on the ground. In contrast, the Steeler first 3 plays netted negative 6 yards, although the officials gifted the Steelers a first down with a questionable roughing the passer penalty.
It didn’t matter much. Although a 17 yard pass to Calvin Austin put the Steelers into Colts territory, another negative run and a 15-yard offensive unnecessary roughness call conspired scuttle drive that ended in a punt.
The Colts next drive unfolded much as had the first. They did lose their quarterback, but Joe Flacco quickly found the end zone for a touchdown, and on his next drive saw to it that the Colts got a field goal to go up 17 to 0 and over 12 minutes remained in the first half.
In between, the Steelers tried and failed to go for it on fourth down.
Playing Behind the 8 Ball, Steelers Foreshadow Finish
The Steelers have played from behind in 2024, but they’ve never faced such a dramatic deficit. To their credit, they embraced the challenge head on.
With just over 8 minutes remaining in the first half, Cordarrelle Patterson ripped off 41 yards in four consecutive plays. Darnell Washington got into the action with 20 yard catch of his own, showing yet again how much of a force he can be with the ball in his hands.
- Patterson then ripped off two more runs, the first went for 9 yards and the second for 10.
He seemed to be getting stronger each time he touched the ball – except he wasn’t – he got injured on the play and was out. But worry not. On the next play Justin Fields stepped up and hit George Pickens for a ten yard gain which brought the Steelers to Indy’s 5, where Pickens promptly fumbled.
The Steelers defense forced a punt and Chris Boswell got Pittsburgh on the board at the half, but being 14 points behind at the half is a meager consolation prize when you’ve squandered a shot at cutting the lead to 10.
But that was a sign of things to come.
The Come Back that Could Have Been
Justin Fields had never won three games in a row during his three years as a starter for the Chicago Bears. He did that in his first three weeks in Pittsburgh. But Fields had never had to rally his team form this far behind.
- Early in the 2nd half it looked like he wasn’t up to it.
After opening the second half with an exchange of punts, Calvin Austin delivered an electrifying 30 yard punt return, giving the Steelers prime field position and Indy’s 33. After 2 plays went nowhere, Fields took the snap on third and 10 and proceeded to lose 20 yards in a sack before fumbling the ball away.
Justin Fields runs for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review
- Yet Fields did anything but fold.
Without a running game to speak of, Najee Harris was excelling at “Sludge Ball,” Fields led three straight touchdown drives. Twice he scored with his legs, and on his third trip to the Red Zone he found Pat Freiermuth in the end zone for an 8 yard touchdown pass that saw the tight end extend his body for the 3 three yards while being tackled.
- In the mean time the Colts had scored ten more points.
While the Steelers defense slowed their running game, they still left their share of plays on the field, with Cam Heyward getting Joe Flacco in his grasp only to lose him, and Minkah Fitzpatrick getting flagged for unnecessary roughness (yes, it was questionable, but that’s why they call it a makeup call.)
But with the Steelers down by 3 and with 3:40 remaining, he defense did their duty.
- Payton Wilson stuffed Trey Sermon on first down
- Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi sacked Joe Flacco on second down
- On third down Flacco misfired to Adonai Mitchell with Donte Jackson almost intercepting
The Steelers had the ball with 2:39 remaining and one time-out. Fields caught the Colts off guard by running for 12 to get the action started. He hit Van Jefferson for 9 yards. Najee Harris ran four 4 for a first down following the 2-minute warning, for a fresh set of downs with 1:43 remaining.
Then the Steelers did what they’d done all day – self-destruct.
- The snap on 1st and 10 hit Justin Fields in the face, causing a sack for an 12-yard loss.
- A deep pass on 2nd to George Pickens went nowhere
- On third down Najee Harris advanced 11 yards on a check down pass but failed to get out of bounds
To no one’s surprise, the Steelers failed to convert the fourth down, giving the ball back to the Colts for the final kneel down.
Conclusions from the Colts Game?
Games like these tempt us to jump to conclusions. But the Steelers past two games against the Colts should caution us against that.
Two years ago much if not most of Steelers Nation went to bed on Monday night after the Colts used the 3rd quarter to erase an 11 point Steelers lead. When they woke up, they discovered that the Steelers had won.
Benny Snell celebrates after scoring the go ahead touchdown. Photo Credit: AJ Mast,. AP via The San Diego Tribune.
- Kenny Pickett had authored his first 4th quarter comeback
- Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland had been the stars of a rejuvenated running game
But what did that signal? Nothing.
Snell and McFarland are both out of football while Kenny Pickett is holding a clipboard in Philadelphia.
Last season the Steelers went to Indy and came out of halftime one point down and proceeded to author the worst 30 minutes of football in the Tomlin era this side of 2009’s 5 game losing streak. Everyone (including me) left the Steelers for dead, and on a Steel City Insider podcast veteran Ed Bouchette said he expected Mike Tomlin to be gone and even floated the idea of trading T.J. Watt.
- Yet, the Steelers won their next three, snuck into the playoffs and Mike Tomlin has a new contract.
So what was the conclusion to take from the Colts loss? This Pittsburgh Steelers team is perfectly capable of playing winning football, but they have to not beat themselves first.
