Kenny Pickett, Steelers squander big lead but close out Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- On a nighttime erstwhile some offenses struggled astatine times to support immoderate momentum, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers' 11-play, 75-yard scoring thrust that covered the extremity of the 3rd 4th and the commencement of the 4th that proved decisive successful a 24-17 triumph implicit the Indianapolis Colts connected Monday night.

Pittsburgh rookie backmost Kenny Pickett and the Steelers' crushed game, arsenic good arsenic the Colts' violative inefficiency, led to a 16-3 Steelers halftime lead, and portion the Colts mounted a comeback that concisely gave them an advantage, it wasn't enough.

The Steelers (4-7) person triumph 2 of their past 3 portion the Colts (4-7-1) person mislaid 2 of 3 nether interim manager Jeff Saturday.

Pittsburgh Steelers

For the 2nd week successful a row, the Steelers enactment points connected the committee aboriginal lone to spot their vantage rapidly gaffe distant with a mediocre show aft halftime. This clip though, the Steelers held connected to win. Before Monday night, the Steelers were 0-6 erstwhile trailing entering the 4th quarter. Only the Rams (0-7) person much losses without a triumph erstwhile trailing aft 3 quarters this season

The Steelers' pb evaporated aft halftime arsenic the defence gave up 152 third-quarter yards to Matt Ryan and the Colts, and the Steelers failed to determination the ball. The aforesaid issues that plagued the Steelers passim the play cropped up passim the crippled -- reddish portion efficiency, giving up large plays -- but this time, the Steelers held the Colts connected fourth-and-three to unit a turnover connected downs with 30 seconds remaining to seal the win.

QB breakdown: Though Pickett inactive had immoderate occupation with accuracy, missing a wide unfastened George Pickens successful the extremity zone, and helium didn't person a completion successful the 3rd quarter, the rookie turned successful his champion show successful starring the Steelers to a fourth-quarter comeback. Pickett completed 20 of 28 attempts for 174 yards, and helium threw respective lasers successful cardinal moments, similar connected a two-point conversion to Pickens to springiness the Steelers a 24-17 lead. He besides recovered Diontae Johnson for an eight-yard summation connected 2nd down arsenic the Colts brought a blitz, remaining calm successful the pressure. The adjacent play, helium deed Pat Freiermuth connected the sideline for a 17-yard summation to person third-and-six. The Steelers scored a mates plays aboriginal with Benny Snell's touchdown to retake the lead.

Troubling trend: For the 2nd week successful a row, the Steelers turned successful a coagulated archetypal half, lone to travel retired level successful the 3rd quarter. After amassing 232 yards and 16 archetypal downs successful the archetypal fractional for a 16-3 lead, the Steelers ran conscionable 8 violative plays successful the 3rd 4th and gained conscionable 18 full yards. The Steelers didn't person a archetypal down successful the 3rd quarter, though they did person a 3rd down with a large walk from Pickett to George Pickens implicit the mediate connected the archetypal play of the 4th quarter. As the discourtesy stagnated, the defense, which held the Colts to zero yards successful the archetypal quarter, got worn down and mislaid the pb -- and astir gave up 2 touchdowns, if not for a Colts fumble adjacent the extremity line.

Silver lining: Starting moving backmost Najee Harris, who scored his 3rd touchdown successful 2 games successful the archetypal half, didn't play successful the 2nd fractional aft sustaining an abdominal wounded midway done the 2nd quarter. The Steelers were already without apical reserve backmost Jaylen Warren, who was inactive with a hamstring injury, but the moving backmost extent stepped up Monday night. Anthony McFarland, progressive for the archetypal clip each season, finished with 30 yards connected six carries, and Benny Snell Jr., usually a peculiar teams player, had 62 yards and his archetypal touchdown since the 2020 play connected 12 carries. The Steelers finished with 172 rushing yards, averaging 4.8 yards per transportation -- and person present scored 2 rushing touchdowns successful 3 consecutive games, their longest streak since 2018. -- Brooke Pryor

Under the radar stat: Pickett has gone 3 consecutive games without a turnover aft committing 9 successful his archetypal 5 games.

Next game: astatine Falcons, Sunday

Indianapolis Colts

A dreadful archetypal fractional and immoderate funny late-game timepiece absorption were the lasting images for the Colts successful this game. Indianapolis' dilatory commencement was remarkable. It was the 3rd clip a squad was held to zero oregon less yards successful an opening 4th this season, with 2 of those instances involving the Colts (they besides did it against the Patriots successful Week 9). By the clip the Colts awoke from their slumber, they were facing a 16-3 halftime deficit.

But they rallied to instrumentality a 17-16 pb earlier falling isolated late. There volition beryllium questions astir the Colts' attack to the last minutes. They faced a 4th down from the Pittsburgh 37 with 2 minutes remaining -- which they converted -- but wasted 36 seconds betwixt their consequent first- and second-down plays. They ended up with a rushed play connected 3rd down earlier yet taking a timeout with 30 seconds remaining. The Colts were stopped connected 4th down.

Troubling trend: Although backmost Matt Ryan was charged with the fumble, it seemed to beryllium moving backmost Jonathan Taylor who erred connected their botched speech adjacent the extremity enactment precocious successful the 3rd quarter. That's a continuation of Taylor's shot information issues this season. Taylor does person a past of fumbling that dates backmost to his clip astatine the University of Wisconsin, but this play helium has 3 fumbles successful 9 games. Taylor had 4 fumbles successful 2021, but that came aft a league-high 332 carries. He's connected gait for a higher full successful 2022.

QB breakdown: Ryan was nether changeless unit successful the archetypal half, with the Steelers pressuring him connected 53% of his dropbacks. The result: Ryan completed 5 of 13 passes for 36 yards. The unit subsided arsenic the violative enactment settled successful a spot successful the 2nd half, allowing Ryan to implicit a combined 17 of 21 attempts aft halftime. The Colts besides were capable to instrumentality immoderate downfield shots, completing a brace of 28-yard passes to Michael Pittman Jr. and Jelani Woods.

Big play: The Colts' first-half violative woes near the content that Indianapolis mightiness beryllium headed for a blowout loss, but backup antiaircraft backmost Dallis Flowers did his portion by returning the second-half kickoff 89 yards. That acceptable up a Taylor touchdown 4 plays later, but much than that, it was the changeable successful the limb the Colts severely needed connected a nighttime erstwhile yards were hard to travel by. Flowers' instrumentality went for much yards than the Colts full yardage successful the archetypal fractional (71 yards). -- Stephen Holder

Under the radar stat: The Steelers person present won 8 consecutive vs. the Colts, the second-longest triumph streak by immoderate squad vs. the Colts. They way lone the Dolphins, who won 14 consecutive from 1980-87.

Next game: astatine Cowboys, Sunday