INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts got off to a slow start in the first half and came up just short in a 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Colts had a total of zero yards in the first quarter and trailed 13-3 at halftime. While they dominated the third quarter on both sides of the ball and took a 17-16 lead heading into the final 15 minutes, the Steelers scored in the fourth quarter and held strong to snuff out a game-tying drive in the final minute.
Matt Ryan completed 22 of 34 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Eight of his passes were caught by Jelani Woods, who came up just shy of a 100-yard receiving night with 98 yards. Jonathan Taylor carried the ball 20 times for 86 yards.
For the Steelers, Kenny Pickett was 20-of-28 for 174 yards. Benny Snell led Pittsburgh with 62 yards rushing and a touchdown. Najee Harris also had a score for Pittsburgh before leaving with an abdominal injury.
The Colts (4-7-1) have lost five of their last six games. They head to Dallas next Sunday for a meeting with the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. on Channel 13.
Fourth quarter
11:14 p.m. - Kenny Pickett took a knee on first down and the Colts let time expire in a 24-17 loss.
11:11 p.m. - Michael Pittman caught a tipped pass on fourth down coming out of the two-minute warning to pick up a first down at the Pittsburgh 37. Matt Ryan was sacked on first down and fumbled, but it was recovered by the Colts.
Ryan scrambled for 14 yards on second down, but Taylor was stopped for no gain on third down. The Colts finally used their first timeout of the half with 30 seconds remaining, facing a fourth-and-3. Ryan threw down the sideline for Parris Campbell, who was hit hard as the ball arrived and fell incomplete.
11:03 p.m. - Michael Pittman pulled in a 28-yard catch on the first play of the Colts' drive, despite a pass interference flag against Levi Wallace. A 17-yard pass to Jelani Woods and a short run by Jonathan Taylor set the Colts up with second-and-6 at the Pittsburgh 44.
After an incompletion, Matt Ryan connected with Michael Pittman for a 4-yard catch short of the first down. Indianapolis will have fourth-and-3 after the two-minute warning. They still have all three timeouts remaining.
10:55 p.m. - With a seven-point lead, Pittsburgh starts their drive with 7:55 remaining and Benny Snell picked up nine yards on first down to start the drive.
The Colts forced a punt and the offense will take over at their own 7-yard line with 3:52 remaining. They have all three of their timeouts available.
10:52 p.m. - The Colts next drive went nowhere, with Matt Ryan taking a sack in between a 1-yard Jonathan Taylor run and a 4-yard completion to Michael Pittman. Matt Haack was hit by a Steelers' rusher on the ensuing punt, but there was no flag thrown and Pittsburgh took over at their own 27-yard line.
10:37 p.m. - Pittsburgh picked up their first first down of the half on a 13-yard pass from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens. A roughing the passer flag on E.J. Speed added 15 yards to the play, setting Pittsburgh up at the Colts 46-yard line.
Eight plays later, the Steelers regained the lead on a 2-yard touchdown run from Benny Snell. Pickett and Pickens connected again for the two-point conversion and a 24-17 lead with 9:55 remaining.
Kenny Moore was injured on the drive for the Colts after colliding with Zaire Franklin. His return is listed as questionable.
10:34 p.m. - The Steelers will start the final quarter facing third-and-9 at their own 26-yard line.
Indianapolis turned the tables in the third quarter, holding Pittsburgh to 18 yards on eight plays. Meanwhile, the Colts ran 46 plays and picked up 152 yards and two touchdowns to take the lead.
Third quarter
10:29 p.m. - Indianapolis used two big plays to Jelani Woods to move inside the Steelers' 10-yard line, then capped off the six-play, 55-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Michael Pittman for the Colts' first lead of the night at 17-16 with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.
10:23 p.m. - Pittsburgh took over possession at the 7-yard line with 4:29 left in the quarter and a 16-10 lead.
The possession didn't last long, as Benny Snell ran twice and Kenny Pickett threw incomplete to George Pickens on third down to bring up a punt. Dallis Flowers fair caught the punt to set the Colts up at the Colts' 45-yard line.
10:10 p.m. - The Colts offense appears to have woken up, marching from their own 12-yard line into Pittsburgh territory in five plays - three runs from Jonathan Taylor and two completions to Jelani Woods.
Taylor was stopped on third-and-1 at the Pittsburgh 35, but after a long hard count, Matt Ryan took the snap with one second on the play clock and dove over the line for the first down.
The Colts lined up for a field goal on fourth-and-2 at the Steelers' 13-yard line, but Cameron Sutton jumped offsides, which resulted in a first down for Indianapolis.
After a Taylor run and an incompletion, Ryan threw to the right side, where it fell incomplete, but Pittsburgh's Minkah Fitzpatrick was called for pass interference on Jelani Woods, which gave Indianapolis a first down at the 1-yard line.
On the ensuing play, Taylor dropped a handoff from Ryan, who fell on the loose ball, but lost to Chris Wormley to give possession to the Steelers.
10:03 p.m. - The Steelers will start their first drive of the second half at their own 25, with news that running back Najee Harris has been ruled out with an abdominal injury.
The Colts stuffed Anthony McFarland on third down, forcing a punt, which Pressley Harvin kicked out of bounds at the Colts' 12-yard line.
9:56 p.m. - Dallis Flowers brought the second-half kickoff out from about eight yards deep in the endzone and returned it 89 yards to the Pittsburgh 19-yard line.
Four plays later, Jonathan Taylor dove in from two yards out for the touchdown. Chase McLaughlin's extra point made it a six-point game at 16-10, less than two minutes into the second half.
Halftime stats
The Colts managed just 71 yards of offense in the first half, all of those coming in the second quarter. Jonathan Taylor carried the ball six times for 34 yards, while Matt Ryan has struggled, completing 5-of-13 passes for 36 yards and an interception. Michael Pittman leads Indianapolis receivers with two catches for 16 yards.
The Steelers, however, gained 232 yards, ran twice as many offensive plays as the Colts and held the ball for 14 more minutes. Kenny Pickett is 14-of-18 for 133 yards, while George Pickens and Dionte Johnson have 44 and 41 yards receiving, respectively.
Najee Harris ran 10 times for 35 yards and the game's only touchdown, while Pickett has 34 yards on the ground of his own.
Indianapolis will receive the second-half kickoff.
Second quarter
9:33 p.m. - Isaiah Rodgers returned the kickoff to the 41-yard line, where the Colts started their possession with two timeouts remaining.
After a completion to Michael Pittman, Matt Ryan scrambled for a first down at the Steelers' 47-yard line. Indianapolis burned their second timeout with 22 seconds remaining.
Ryan completed a pass to Alec Pierce, but Bernhard Raimann was flagged for being too far downfield, negating the play. Jonathan Taylor then got out of bounds on a reception at the 50 with 11 seconds remaining.
After an incomplete pass to Jelani Woods, who dropped the pass at the 44-yard line, Ryan went back to Woods, who pulled the pass in and dove to the 41-yard line, where Indianapolis spent their last timeout with three seconds left in the half.
Chase McLaughlin came on to try a 59-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked to end the half.
9:20 p.m. - The Steelers started the ensuing drive at their own 25-yard line and all three timeouts available with just over three minutes left in the half.
The Steelers drove inside the Colts 10, but the Indianapolis defense stiffened, forcing a field goal try from Matthew Wright. His 25-yard attempt was good, giving Pittsburgh a 16-3 lead with 56 seconds left in the half.
9:10 p.m. - Now down two scores, the Colts have turned to Jonathan Taylor, who carried the ball three times for 26 yards in the first four plays of the drive.
Center Ryan Kelly has returned from injury for the Colts.
Matt Ryan completed his first pass in seven attempts, finding Michael Pittman for 10 yards and a first down.
The drive stalled at the Steelers' 33, when Ryan threw incomplete on third-and-4.
Chase McLaughlin drilled a 51-yard field goal to get the Colts on the board, trailing 13-3 with 3:48 left in the half.
9:07 p.m. - The Steelers capped off an 80-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run for Najee Harris and a 13-0 lead with 7:46 remaining in the first half.
8:51 p.m. - Isaiah Rodgers returned the kickoff to the 30-yard line, where the Colts begin their third possession of the game.
Starting center Ryan Kelly was injured on a six-yard run on second down by Jonathan Taylor. Danny Pinter came in to replace him on the offensive line as the Colts faced a third-and-4. Ryan threw incomplete to bring up fourth down.
Steven Sims lost a yard during his attempt to return Matt Haack's punt and the Steelers' offense takes over at the 20-yard line with 13:17 left in the half.
8:48 p.m. - The Colts stopped the Steelers on third-and-12 on the first play of the second quarter, forcing Matthew Wright's second field goal try of the game for the Steelers.
His kick from 52 yards kissed off the right upright and went through for a 6-0 Steelers lead.
PHOTOS: Colts host Steelers on Monday Night Football
First quarter
8:45 p.m. - The Steelers again drove into Indianapolis territory and will face a third-and-12 from the Colts' 38 when the second quarter begins.
The Colts finished the first quarter with zero yards of offense after subtracting seven yards lost on a Matt Ryan sack from Jonathan Taylor's seven yards on two carries. They only ran five plays on offense in the first quarter.
8:38 p.m. - The Colts go three-and-out on their next possession, punctuated by a Terrell Edmunds sack of Matt Ryan, forcing a Matt Haack punt.
Steven Sims returned the kick to the Steelers' 39-yard line with exactly three minutes remaining in the quarter.
8:31 p.m. - After Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett ran nine yards for a first down, he was sacked twice by Yannick Ngakoue, driving the Steelers back to the 38-yard line, forcing a punt, which went into the end zone for a touchback.
8:27 p.m. - Isaiah Rodgers returned a kickoff 33 yards to the Colts' 34-yard line, where they started their opening possession.
Two plays later, James Pierre stepped in front of a pass for the interception, setting Pittsburgh up at the Indy 38. It's the tenth interception thrown by Colts quarterback Matt Ryan this year.
8:23 p.m. - The Steelers drove to the Colts 27-yard line with the first possession of the game, but Kenny Moore II broke up a pass on third-and-2 with a big hit on Steven Sims.
Matthew Wright converted a 45-yard field goal for a 3-0 Pittsburgh lead with 9:27 remaining in the first quarter.
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8:15 p.m. - The Colts won the coin toss and elected to defer their option to the second half. Pittsburgh starts the game at their own 25-yard line after a touchback.
Pregame
7:45 p.m. - The Colts have announced their inactive list for Monday's game.
The list includes wide receiver Keke Coutee, quarterback Nick Foles, center Wesley French, tight end Kylen Granson, and defensive ends Khalid Kareem, Ifeadi Odenigbo and Kwity Paye.
7:04 p.m. - Plenty of Steelers fans have made the trip to Lucas Oil Stadium to support the visiting team.
6:15 p.m. - The Colts made a couple of roster moves before Monday's game, promoting tight end Nikola Kalinic and linebacker Forrest Rhyne from the practice squad to the active roster.
Game preview
The Indianapolis Colts will look to rebound from a last-minute loss to the Philadelphia Eagles under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
The Colts (4-6-1) welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7) to town for Monday night's matchup between two teams trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. Indianapolis is 1-1 since Jeff Saturday took over as interim head coach following the dismissal of Frank Reich. Pittsburgh is also 1-1 in their last two games, beating New Orleans in Week 10 before falling to Cincinnati, 37-30, last Sunday.
The all-time series is a lopsided one in favor of the Steelers. The Colts won the first meeting between the teams after the move to Indianapolis in 1984, but have lost 17 of the 19 matchups since, including seven in a row since a 24-20 Indianapolis win on Nov. 9, 2008.
Monday will be the first time Indianapolis has hosted Monday Night Football since 2015. The Colts lost to the Jets, 20-7, on Sept. 21, 2015. The Colts haven't won a Monday night game at home since they defeated the Texans on Nov. 1, 2010.
The Colts are dedicating Monday's game to their "Kicking the Stigma" campaign to address and improve mental health in the community. Monday afternoon, the team announced $1.4 million in grants that were awarded to nearly a dozen local nonprofit organizations.