Steelers vs. Colts: Preview, score prediction for Week 10

Colts Down on Their Luck

Indianapolis was extremely hopeful to have quarterback Andrew Luck back sometime before the 2017 season ended. With Luck beginning to throw just a few weeks ago, optimism swirled around the Colts’ facility that Luck would be able to suit up soon. However, on Nov. 2, Luck was placed on IR, effectively ending his season and seemingly the Colts’ as well.

Enter Jacoby Brissett, who was traded to Indianapolis earlier in the preseason from New England as an insurance policy for the quarterback position. Brissett, who has shown spots of his potential, touts a low 39.4 QBR thanks in part to a weak offensive line (league high 36 sacks allowed) and everybody not named TY Hilton. Hilton remains the sole productive receiver for the Colts, and looks to continue to build off an impressive week nine where he posted 175 yards on five catches, two of those for touchdowns.

Frank Gore continues to be the workhorse back in Indianapolis’ offense, seeing 127 attempts in his 13th season in the league. Gore’s touches out of the backfield are more than double of the next man up in the offense, Marlon Mack (52). Some would argue Mack deserves to have the torch passed upon him, and advanced statistics from Pro Football Focus would tend to agree.

Defensively, the Colts can be spotted at dead last in the league in total defense, allowing nearly 400 yards per game. To tally another blow to an already decimated team, cornerback Vontae Davis just this week opted to have season-ending surgery on his groin along with defensive linemen Henry Anderson, who suffered a laryngeal fracture this past week as well. The defense is currently undergoing a face-lift, as no starter from week one of 2016 will be starting on Sunday.

Simply put, this Colts defense is a disaster. To capture Indianapolis’ woes in one sentence, coach Chuck Pagano told ESPN‘s Mike Wells, “They ain’t going to let us play with 12. I wish they would.”

While playing with 12 men would be a bold strategy, let’s take a look at what else the Colts need to do in order to pull of the upset.

Colts keys to the game

• Run, run, and run some more. While Pittsburgh’s run defense has tightened as of late, it still remains one of the weak points of the defense. It’s also important to note the Steelers lead the league in missed tackles (77), as all it takes is one hole for either Gore or Mack to run into daylight. Indianapolis would benefit by taking a page out of the Bears playbook against the Steelers, where Chicago relied heavily on the rushing attack in route to a win. Establishing a presence on the ground would not only keep pressure off of Brissett in the passing game, but also keeps the Steelers potent offense off the field as well.
• Send pressure after Roethlisberger. Certainly the losses across the board put a sickening mood over the Colts defense, yet the absolute worst thing to do is sit back and play on your heels defensively. Roethlisberger hasn’t proved himself as hard to bring down as previous years, nor a prolific passer. Sending pressure from different spots on the field not only keeps Big Ben guessing, but also forces the ball out of his hands faster, thus eliminating time for players like Antonio Brown from doing damage downfield.

X Factor: TY Hilton

If the Colts offense has one thing going for them, it’s the production of TY Hilton. Hilton, who is second in the league in receiving yards (702), has been the sole motor of the offense, and all hope of defeating Pittsburgh starts with Hilton having a big day. If the Colts are able to spread the field and get him the ball often, Indianapolis might be able to ride Hilton to victory.