It’s been a rough season NFL-wise in both Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. So are the Steelers or Colts the bigger disappointment this season?
The Indianapolis Colts hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. And when it was all said and done, Mike Tomlin’s team came up with a 24-17 victory. That means both clubs have each won only four games in 2022.
A year ago, both of these clubs totaled nine victories. In Week 18, Mike Tomlin’s club knocked off the Ravens in overtime while the Colts fell at Jacksonville. That enabled the Black and Gold to edge Indianapolis for the final playoff spot in the AFC.
With December on the horizon, these clubs have combined for only eight victories and would have to get a lot of help to make a playoff run. So which team has had the more disappointing season?
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-7)
For the first time since 2003, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was not a member of the organization. The club added veteran Mitch Trubisky in free agency and used a first-round pick on University of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett. The former spearheaded a Week 1 overtime upset of the Bengals at Cincinnati.
But Trubisky eventually gave way to Pickett. And while the latter has flashed on occasion, it’s hard to ignore that he has nine of the club’s 14 turnovers. Pickett has as many rushing touchdowns (3) as scoring tosses.
All told, the Steelers are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, with inter-conference wins over the Buccaneers and Saints and Monday night’s victory at Indianapolis. The team has shown a little more promise as of late. But this was a playoff club the past two seasons with 12-4 and 9-7-1 finishes in 2020 and 2021, respectively. This season, Mike Tomlin’s club is just 2-6 in the conference.
Despite the balanced attack on Monday night, offensive coordinator Matt Canada has been under fire on a daily basis. The defense has underperformed as well. A year ago, the Steelers were dead last in the league against the run. These days, Tomlin’s club has struggled mightily vs. the pass. Not having T.J. Watt for most of the season has hurt but it doesn’t explain everything.
Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1)
There were many who felt that this club was the frontrunner to capture its first division title since 2014. General manager Chris Ballard gave up only a third-round pick to acquire veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. And the franchise added key pieces on defense in pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
But it’s been a rough year for the 15-year signal-caller, who has more turnovers (14) than touchdown passes (11). He was benched for Sam Ehlinger before interim head coach Jeff Saturday (the replacement for Frank Reich) inserted him back in the starting lineup.
This season’s schedule had the Colts playing five of their first seven games vs. their AFC South rivals. And unfortunately for the team, it couldn’t take advantage of that scheduling. Indianapolis managed a 1-3-1 mark in those contests, with a 34-27 come-from-behind win over the Jaguars in Week 6 the lone victory in those five contests.
After the 24-17 Monday night loss to the Steelers, the Colts are averaging a mere 15.8 points per game. The team has scored 18 offensive TDs in a dozen contests. Meanwhile, the club has turned over the ball 21 times – two more miscues than Indianapolis managed (19) a year ago.
So have the 4-7 Steelers or the 4-7-1 Colts laid the biggest egg so far this season? The two have combined for some very miserable football this season. Frankly, there are no winners here.