LIVE BLOG: Minshew has 3 TDs, Gay has 3 FGs as Colts defeat Steelers 30-13

INDIANAPOLIS — One of the most pivotal games of the year for the Indianapolis Colts (7-6) comes Saturday in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Indy is trying to rebound after having a four-game winning streak snapped last week at Cincinnati, but has lost eight straight in this series. The low-scoring Steelers (7-6) have lost three of their past four. 

Both teams come into the game with defenses ranked in the bottom quarter of the entire NFL, but both are searching for the AFC's final two playoff spots.

Check in here for live score updates from the game:

First Quarter:

• Kickoff — Steelers win the coin toss and defer. Matt Gay's kickoff goes 61 yards and is returned to the Colts 35 yard line.
• 14:15 — Mitch Trubisky is sacked by Grover Stewart for a four yard loss.
• 12:52 — The Colts hold the Steelers to a three-and-out. Pressley Harvin III's 42-yard punt is returned by Josh Downs.
• 12:52 — Gardner Minshew takes his first snap of the game and makes a 1-yard pass to Zack Moss.
• 10:47 — Zack Moss has his first carry of the day and moves the Colts closer to a first down with a 3-yard rush up the middle.
• 9:05 — Gardner Minshew is sacked by T.J. Watt for a loss of 6 yards.
• 8:23 — On 3rd down, Gardner Minshew finds Josh Downs for an 8-yard pass reception. Downs is hit hard by Damontae Kazee, bringing up 4th down.
• 7:35 — Matt Gay lines up for a 56-yard field goal. The kick is wide left and no good.
• 6:19 — Mitch Trubisky finds Pat Freiermuth for a 5-yard first down reception.
• 5:02 — Trubisky finds George Pickens for a 15-yard first down reception.
• 4:21 — George Pickens catches a 15-yard pass from Mitch Trubisky to bring the Steelers into the red zone at the Colts' 7 yard line.
• 3:01 — Jalen Warren runs up the middle for a 1-yard gain.
• 1:12 — Mitch Trubisky fumbles the ball at the goal line on fourth down. The ball is recovered by the Steelers' Najee Harris for a touchdown. The play is reviewed and the touchdown is confirmed. Chris Boswell's PAT boinks off the upright and is no good.
  • Score: Steelers 6, Colts 0
• 0:27 — Larry Ogunjobi sacks Gardner Minshew for a 3-yard loss and brings up 4th down and the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

• 15:00 — Rigoberto Sanchez's punt is blocked by the Steelers' Conner Heyward. Nick Herbig recovers the ball for Pittsburg at the Colts' 1 yard line. 
• 14:07 — Mitch Trubisky hits Diontae Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Chris Boswell's PAT is good.
  • Score: Steelers 13, Colts 0
• 14:03 — Gardner Minshew hits Michael Pittman Jr. for a 21 yard gain. 
• 13:03 — Minshew buys time and scrambles out of the pocket to find Michael Pittman Jr. again, this time for a 42-yard gain bringing the Colts to the Steelers' 7 yard line.
• 12:33 — Gardner Minshew's rushing attempt is stopped by T.J. Watt for a loss of 4 yards.
• 11:21 — Out of the shotgun, Minshew rolls out and finds Zack Moss for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Moss is brought down in the end zone via a horse-collar tackle by Mykal Walker. Matt Gay's PAT is good.
  • Score: Steelers 13, Colts 7
• 11:21 — Matt Gay's kickoff is returned 36 yards by Godwin Igwebuike to the Steelers' 36-yard line.
• 10:34 — Mitch Trubisky is sacked for a 6-yard loss by Dayo Odeyingbo. The play is nullified after Jaylon Jones' defensive holding penalty.
• 9:26 — Nick Cross intercepts a deep pass from Mitch Trubisky and is tackled at the Colts' 11-yard line.
• 8:42 — Gardner Minshew finds Michael Pittman Jr. for a big gain. Damontae Kazee tackles Pittman Jr. with a late hit, giving the Colts' receiver an injury. Kazee is disqualified for his hit on Pittman Jr. The play is nullified with the penalty.
• 8:37 — Pittman Jr. is being evaluated for a concussion. Zack Moss is questionable to return with an arm injury.
• 8:13 — Minshew finds Josh Downs for a 5-yard gain.
• 6:21 — On 4th & 1, Trey Sermon gets the first down on a 10-yard rush. 
• 5:44 — Tyler Goodson rushes 9-yards to bring up 2nd & 1.
• 5:00 — Goodson again pushes through with a 4-yard rush for a first down.
• 3:47 — Minshew throws to Goodson this time for a 7-yard gain, just shy of a touchdown.
• 3:27 — On 4th & Goal, Gardner Minshew finds David Montgomery in the end zone for what should have been a touchdown. Unfortunately, Montgomery could not complete the pass and the play is ruled incomplete. The Colts turn the ball over.
• 2:39 — Harris runs for a Steelers 4-yard gain and runs the clock to the two-minute warning.
• 0:44 — The Colts hold the Steelers to a punt. Pressley Harvin III kicks a 55-yard punt that's recovered by Indy's Josh Downs at the Colts' 26-yard line.
• 0:35 — Minshew finds Montgomery for a 34-yard gain. 
• 0:35 — A deep pass from Gardner Minshew to Alec Pierce is incomplete, however, Joey Porter commits a defensive pass interference penalty bringing the Colts into the red zone.
• 0:22 — Garner Minshew again finds David Montgomery for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Matt Gay's PAT is good.
  • Score: Colts 14, Steelers 13
• 0:22 — Matt Gay's 65-yard kickoff is not returned for a touchback.
• 0:13 — Trubisky hits Warren for a 9-yard gain, but the clock runs out on the first half.
  • Halftime: Colts, 14, Steelers 13

Third Quarter

• 15:00 — Chris Boswell's kickoff goes into the end zone for a touchback.
• 13:36 — The Steelers hold the Colts to a three-and-out. Rigoberto Sanchez's punt goes 57 yards to the Pittsburgh 10-yard line.
• 13:28 — Najee Harris fumbles the ball at the Steelers' own 12 yard line. E.J. Speed makes the recovery at the Pittsburgh 18-yard line.
• 13:16 — Gardner Minshew finds Mo Alie-Cox for an 18-yard touchdown pass to extend the Colts' lead. Matt Gay's PAT is good.
  • Score: Colts 21, Steelers 13
• 13:16 — Matt Gay's kickoff falls in the end zone for a touchback.
• 11:59 — Mitch Trubisky is sacked by Dayo Odeyingbo for a 7 yard loss and a three-and-out for the Steelers.
• 11:12 — Pressley Harvin III punts 41 yards to Josh Downs. Downs returns the ball to the Colts' 49-yard line.
• 11:12 — Tyler Goodson rushes for a gain of 31 yards and is pushed out of bounds at the Steelers' 20-yard line.
• 9:52 — Mo Alie-Cox drops a touchdown pass in the end zone.
• 9:02 — Matt Gay knocks through a 29-yard field goal kick to extend the Colts lead.
  • Score: Colts 24, Steelers 13
• 9:02 — Matt Gay's 65-yard kickoff ends in a touchback.
• 6:49 — Mitch Trubisky hits Diontae Johnson with a deep pass for a gain of 26-yards.
• 5:29 — Trubisky again with a deep pass, this time finding George Pickens for a 17-yard gain.
• 4:48 — Najee Harris runs up the middle for a 4-yard gain, bringing the ball to the Colts' 31-yard line.
• 3:25 — Mitch Trubisky's pass to George Pickens is incomplete, bringing up 4th down.
• 3:21 — Pressley Harvin III punts 22 yards to the Colts' 17-yard line. Josh Downs calls for a fair catch.
• 0:31 — The Colts run out the clock in the third quarter as Trey Sermon runs up the middle for a gain of one yard. 

Fourth Quarter

• 15:00 — Trey Sermon has a big run up the middle for a gain of 19 yards to begin the fourth quarter.
• 13:40 — Tyler Goodson runs up the middle for a 10-yard gain and a first down.
• 9:17 — Matt Gay knocks through a 31-yard field goal for his second successful kick of the game.
  • Score: Colts 27, Steelers 13
• 9:17 — Matt Gay's 65-yard kickoff ends in a touchback.
  
• 8:06 — Mitch Trubisky is sacked by Dayo Odeyingbo for a loss of 8 yards.
• 5:57 — Julian Blackmon intercepts a deep pass from Mitch Trubisky and returns it 25 yards to the Steelers' own 45-yard line.
• 2:12 — The Colts offensive drive stalls, Matt Gay misses a 43-yard field goal after the ball deflects off the upright.
• 2:08 — The Steelers bench Mitch Trubisky for Mason Rudolph. Rudolph's first play is a pass to Jaylen Warren for a loss of 3 yards.
• 2:00 — The two-minute warning sounds as the Steelers try to score quickly.
• 1:42 — Mason Rudolph is sacked on fourth down by Samson Ebukam for a loss of 11 yards.
• 1:41 — Gardner Minshew and the Colts enter victory formation to kneel out the clock.
• 1:41 — The Steelers call a timeout to prevent the Colts from running out the clock.
• 1:40 — Tyler Goodson runs for a gain of 1 yard. Pittsburgh uses their final timeout.
• 1:36 — Trey Sermon runs for a gain of 1 yard to bring up 4th & 9 as the Colts try to drain the clock.
• 0:52 — While running out the clock, the Colts are forced to use a timeout to prevent a delay of game penalty. 
• 0:48 — Matt Gay kicks his third field goal of the game, knocking through a 42-yard kick to extend the Colts' lead.
  • Score: Colts 30, Steelers 13
• 0:48 — Matt Gay's 65-yard kickoff ends in a touchback.
• 0:48 — Jaylen Warren runs for a gain of 11 yards.
• 0:22 — Warren is stuffed again as the clock runs out.
  • FINAL: Colts 30, Steelers 13

Associated Press pregame look:

STEELERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Mitch Trubisky. His first start in place of the injured Kenny Pickett didn't go as smoothly as planned. He threw an early interception on an ill-advised pass that sailed into triple coverage, setting up a New England touchdown. He also made a questionable decision to throw deep to WR Diontae Johnson on fourth-and-2 at midfield with two minutes left when a first down could have positioned the Steelers for a tying field goal. Coach Mike Tomlin remains committed to Trubisky, but another shaky start could jeopardize Tomlin's support.

COLTS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Zack Moss. With Jonathan Taylor still recovering from thumb surgery and his status unclear, the Colts need to provide more offensive balance. He played a key role in Indy's strong early season ground game when Taylor also was out. But Indy has failed to top the 80-yard mark in four of their past six games and it needs a better performance this week.

KEY MATCHUP: Steelers screen passes vs. Colts pass rush. Indy is tied for third in the league with 42 sacks and is needs five to break the franchise's single-season record. But last week, Bengals QB Jake Browning took advantage of the Colts' aggressiveness with three game-changing screen passes. It's a copy-cat league and Pittsburgh's low-scoring offense would be wise to challenge the Colts, too.

KEY INJURIES: Steelers OLBs T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith began the week in concussion protocol but were limited participants in practice Tuesday. Watt returned to full action Wednesday and the Steelers said he's cleared the protocol. Highsmith was still limited Wednesday and might play. QB Kenny Pickett (ankle) will miss his second straight game. ... Taylor has missed the past two games and Indy chose not to put him on injured reserve in hopes he'd return in about three weeks. He's now in that window. Three other Colts starters sat out last week — CB JuJu Brents (quad) RT Braden Smith (knee), LB E.J. Speed (knee). Brents and Speed were both full participants in practice the first two days this week. Taylor and Smith did not practice either day.

SERIES NOTES: Pittsburgh has won eight straight and nine of the past 10 in this series. The Steelers won a franchise-best nine straight over Indy from 1985-2002. ... Pittsburgh has won all five playoff games, the first two when the Colts were in Baltimore, and the Steelers have won three AFC titles after postseason wins over the Colts. The most memorable matchups came in the AFC championship game following the 1995 season and in January 2006, the year coach Bill Cowher won his Super Bowl title. ... The Colts, Steelers and Browns were the three teams that moved from the NFL to the AFC as part of the 1970 merger. Pittsburgh and Cleveland split their two games this season while the Colts lost to the Browns.

STATS AND STUFF: The Steelers are smarting after back-to-back home losses to Arizona and New England. Pittsburgh became the first NFL team with a winning record to lose consecutive home games against foes who were at least eight games under .500. ... The most recent time Pittsburgh lost three in a row came during a four-game skid early in the 2022 season. ... Colts QB Gardner Minshew is the fifth backup quarterback the Steelers have faced in seven weeks. They beat Tennessee (Will Levis) and Cincinnati (Browning) while losing to New England (Bailey Zappe) and Cleveland (Dorian Thompson-Robinson). ... Pittsburgh is 36-28 all time on Saturdays, 11-19 on the road. ... The Steelers' red-hot running game cooled off significantly against the Patriots. Trubisky was Pittsburgh's top runner 30 yards. ... Special teams ace Miles Killebrew's three blocked punts since the start of 2022 are the most among active players. He deflected a punt against the Pats last week that didn't go down as a block because the kick traveled 11 yards. ... Watt, Pittsburgh's career sacks leader, had his third game without a sack this season last week. ... The Steelers won their first six one-score decisions this season but are 1-2 in their past three. Those nine one-score decisions are a league high. Indy is tied for third with a 5-2 mark in one-score games. ... WR George Pickens had three 100-yard performances in Pittsburgh's first five games and three TDs in the first six, but he hasn't topped 100 yards since Oct. 22 and hasn't scored since Oct. 29. ... The Steelers and Colts entered Week 15 sitting in the AFC's final two playoff spots. Saturday's winner will stay in the playoff hunt while the loser may struggle to stay close. ... Indy is 2-4 on its home turf this season and has lost all four games played at Lucas Oil Stadium in this series. ... The Colts are one of only six NFL teams to score 20 or more points in 11 games and are second in non-offensive TDs (five) this season. ... WR Michael Pittman Jr. needs five catches for the first 100-catch season of his career, 16 yards for his second 1,000-yard season and eight receptions to break Marvin Harrison's franchise record for consecutive games with eight or more catches (six). ... Minshew has been sacked eight times in the past three weeks and is 2-4 when he throws an interception. ... Moss already has established single-season career bests for yards rushing (751) and TD runs (five). ... LB Zaire Franklin has retook the league lead in tackles (144). ... Indy's defense ranks first in the NFL in strip-sacks (10), second in fumbles forced (16) and third in tackles for loss (74). It also has forced a turnover in 18 consecutive games, the NFL's longest active streak. Miami is second at seven. ... The Colts have only yielded three points in the final two minutes of the first or second halves this season.

FANTASY TIP: It's a tough call this week. Typically, in low-scoring contests, fantasy players may be tempted to take a defense. But both have had struggles. The safer choice this week would be the most consistent offensive player on either team, Pittman, who fell 5 yards short of his third straight 100-yard game last week.