INDIANAPOLIS — It was a playoff atmosphere inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. The Steelers and Colts both came into the day at 7-6, contributing to the "must-win" feel of this football game. A win would see the Colts keep pace in the crowded AFC playoff race, while a loss would make the road to the postseason all the more difficult.
For Indianapolis, Jonathan Taylor, Braden Smith, and Segun Olubi were ruled out, while EJ Speed and Juju Brents were back in action providing a lift to this Colts defense.
This Colts defense made its presence felt on the opening possession. A sack by DeForest Buckner forced a three-and-out to get the party started.
The Colts were moving it nicely on their first drive. Gardner Minshew began his outing 6-6 for 33 yards. However, a T.J. Watt sack stalled their momentum. Matt Gay's 56-yard field goal attempt was no good, and we remained scoreless in the early going.
Pittsburgh capitalized on the miscue. A 4th-and-goal quarterback sneak by Mitch Trubisky was originally ruled a fumble. However, after review, it was ruled that Trubisky crossed the goal line, and the Steelers took a 6-0 lead after the missed PAT.
Things went from bad to worse for the Colts to start this one. Connor Heyward blocked a Rigoberto Sanchez punt to start the second quarter, and the Steelers recovered at Indy's one-yard line. A couple plays later, Trubisky hit Diontae Johnson for a four-yard touchdown to put the Steelers on top 13-0.
The Colts woke up offensively in the second quarter. Minshew extended a play on third down, rolling out, and finding Michael Pittman Jr. down the sideline for a 42-yard gain. That seemed to get the Colts going.
“Man, that was huge. That was a big third down," Minshew recalled. "We kind of had the initial play flubbed up. Pitt (Michael Pittman Jr.) was running across. There was nobody behind. I told him to go deep, man, and he made an awesome play. This guy got separation from his guy. Those are the kind of big plays we need from him.”
A couple plays later, Minshew hit Zack Moss for a 16-yard touchdown and cut the deficit to 13-7.
After the touchdown, though, Moss went to the locker room to be evaluated for an arm injury. He did not return to the contest.
Nick Cross kept the momentum rolling for this Colts defense. He ripped a deep ball away from George Pickens for an interception, and the Colts took over midway through the second quarter.
On that ensuing drive, Michael Pittman Jr. received a scary hit after a throw to him down the field. As a result, Damontae Kazee was ejected from the game. Pittman Jr. did walk off the field under his own power but went straight to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. He did suffer a concussion and did not return to the game.
Both tackles/hits were questionable in nature. Shane Steichen was asked after the game if he viewed those hits as dirty to his players.
“I've got to go back and look at them. Obviously, you don't want to see guys get hurt, you know what I mean? They're bang-bang plays. In real time, you obviously don't want that on your player. On the flip side, we don't want to do that. I'll go back and look at the tape," Steichen said.
“Any time you lose really good players like that, nobody is going to be able to step in and replace that. I think everybody has to be able to pick up their level of play. I think we got it from a lot of different areas today. That's why with those guys in preparation, they don't get all the reps, they don't get all the looks, but they were able to get in and execute. Hat's off to the guys that came in and were able to fill in," Minshew continued.
A 4th-and-goal pass play to D.J. Montgomery was unsuccessful later that possession. Montgomery had the ball in his hands but couldn't complete the catch, and the Colts turned the ball over on downs.
“He was down. I told him, ‘Man, we're coming right back to you. That doesn't change anything for me,’" Minshew said of his receiver. "Man, I'm just so happy for him. Getting back in the end zone and scoring, that was awesome.”
Montgomery would make up for it though. With under a minute to play in the half, the Colts got the ball back and looked to score. Minshew hit Montgomery for a 34-yard gain to get the festivities going on the drive. A couple plays later, Minshew went back to Montgomery for a 14-yard touchdown pass with just 22 seconds to play in the half. From 13 points down, the Colts took a 14-13 lead into the halftime break.
"He's the guy that literally every week in practice is scout team player of the week," Minshew said of Montgomery. "He like tears it up. Even when he got here for preseason, he came in one game, had like five catches. He's super productive. He's just one of those guys. He shows up and makes plays. Couldn't be more happy for him.”
The Colts defense took the baton to start the second half. EJ Speed forced a fumble, Julian Blackmon recovered and Indianapolis was back in business. On the very next play, Minshew hit Mo Alie-Cox from 18 yards out to make it a 21-13 lead for Indy.
From there, it felt like the Colts were in complete control of this one. From down 13-0, to scoring 30 unanswered points, the Colts stayed in the AFC Playoff hunt in style. 30-13 was your final score from Lucas Oil on Saturday, moving the Colts to 8-6 on the season. It is their first win over the Steelers since 2008.
“The biggest thing, talking about last week, the resilience, it wasn't our best game. It wasn't who we were," Steichen said after the game. "The big thing was cleaning up the penalties. I think we had two penalties for 10 yards today, and then getting the takeaways. We got three, and we didn't turn the ball over. When that happens, you usually win football games. Excited for the guys putting in the work. The weekly preparation they did, and then going out and executing it on Saturday. Obviously not Sunday, but Saturday. It was great to see that today.”
With Michael Pittman Jr. and Zack Moss leaving the game, the Colts were left noticeably thin at skill positions. But guys like DJ Montgomery, Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson stepped up and delivered when they needed to. Sermon carried the ball 17 times for 88 yards, Goodson carried it 11 times for 69 yards, and Montgomery caught two passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
“They were huge. I'm happy for all of them. Getting an opportunity in this league is not an easy thing," Minshew remarked. "They made the most of it today and helped us win. I don't think we'd win without them. I think that's just a testament to how they work week in and week out. We've been seeing them in practice on scout team, whatever it is. We have a lot of confidence in them. So when it was time to roll, we were all ready for it.”
“It's great to see. (DJ Montgomery) has been working his tail off on scout team. When he was on scout team all year, he made plays and plays and plays, and it's like we've got to get this guy on the active roster. Obviously, we'd love to have that one back. But then, he gets another opportunity and makes a big play and gets the touchdown. Credit to him, credit to Reggie (Wayne) getting him ready to roll. It was good. A lot of guys had to step up today. And the preparation that goes into it — obviously their position coaches getting them ready to go, knowing what to do, knowing the plan and going out and executing it," Steichen said.
"Goody's (Tyler Goodson) got some explosive ability, as you guys saw," Steichen continued. "The big play that he had on the sideline was huge, showing off the speed that he has. Trey (Sermon) is just a good, strong runner, had some low creases that he got through there and made some tough yards. It was awesome to see those two guys running hard. Credit to them, credit to DeAndre Smith, the running back coach, getting them ready.”
Minshew finished the game 18-28 for 215 yards and three touchdowns. Steichen remarked that that was one of his best performances of the season.
"Yeah, he played really good. I mean, he was concise with his reads, his decisions, getting the ball out of his hands quick, and making plays. He just operates at a high level. It was awesome to see," Steichen said.
The Colts are still in the AFC playoff picture for the time being. Indianapolis travels to Atlanta next Sunday to face off against the Falcons.
