The Indianapolis Colts need a win to keep pace with the AFC playoff contenders as they host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Indy squandered a fourth-quarter advantage last Sunday, losing 17-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles, while Pittsburgh dropped a 37-30 decision to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Match preview
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Last weekend, Jeff Saturday saw his team miss a significant opportunity to gain some ground in the wildcard race with their loss to the Eagles, as they now trail that final AFC playoff spot by two games.
Throughout the season, the Colts have struggled to put games to bed, averaging a mere 15.7 points per game in 2022, the second-lowest total in the NFL, while sitting 25th in third-down conversions.
Despite those numbers, Indy have shown they can go big and move the ball offensively, throwing for over 270 yards per game (271.4), but scoring the fourth-fewest amount of points in the AFC (173).
The Colts' strength on offence lies in their running game, though they had a hard time getting that going last week, failing to crack the century mark in that department despite four players getting at least one carry.
Stopping the run has been a big plus to the Indianapolis defence this year, allowing 3.8 yards per carry on the ground, the second-lowest average in the NFL.
Being able to shut down the passing game is another story, with the Colts allowing 68.3% of passes thrown against them to be completed for a 96.5 rating.
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So far in 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been a far cry from the Steel Curtain team we saw terrorize opposing offences in the 1970s, allowing 24.4 points per game this season.
Those Steeler teams in the 1970s were among the best at pressuring quarterbacks, but this current squad have had a hard time in that department, being one of only six NFL teams with fewer than 20 sacks on the year (19).
One thing Mike Tomlin has been able to rely on all season is a stingy unit capable of slowing down the run, allowing an average of 3.9 yards per game on the ground, tied for third in the NFL.
Pittsburgh have played their conference tough this year, with five of their seven contests against AFC opponents being decided by a single score, though the only Steelers victory in those games came on opening day, 23-20 in overtime versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coming into this contest, the Steelers have conceded 11 touchdowns in their last three road games, including four through the air and one on the ground in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (35-13).
Finishing their road games strong has been a problem, with Pittsburgh scoring three points or fewer in the fourth quarter of each away encounter this season.
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Team News
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For a second straight game, Colts quarterback Matt Ryan did not throw an interception but failed to throw a TD pass in a loss to the Eagles, as Jonathan Taylor ran for a score, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry.
Michael Pittman had six grabs for 75 yards in a losing effort for Indy last week, and Parris Campbell caught five passes for 67 yards.
Yannick Ngakoue is putting together a solid campaign on the defensive line with 1.5 sacks last week, leading the team with 6.5 this season, Ifeadi Odenigbo had one versus Philly, Julian Blackmon made four tackles and Zaire Franklin had five.
Jelani Woods took part in practice this week despite a sore shoulder, Matt Pryor is sick, Kwity Paye sprained his ankle and DeForest Buckner could miss this contest due to a rib injury.
The Steelers' Kenny Pickett threw for 265 yards in the loss to Cincy, including one TD pass to George Pickens, Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores and Pat Freiermuth had eight catches for 79 yards.
Myles Jack leads Pittsburgh with 81 tackles on the season, Alex Highsmith has nine sacks, Minkah Fitzpatrick has three interceptions and Arthur Maulet had five tackles for them in their last encounter.
James Daniels is dealing with a pulled groin, Robert Spillane has a sore back, Miles Boykin might miss this game because of an oblique problem and Ahkello Witherspoon missed practice on Friday with a hamstring injury.
Head To Head
Pittsburgh have won the last seven matchups against the Colts dating back to 2011, with the retired Big Ben Roethlisberger throwing touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the previous outing in 2020 for a 28-24 victory.
The previous Colts' victory versus the Steelers came in 2008, when Peyton Manning threw touchdown passes to Dominic Rhodes, Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, winning 24-20.
Probably the most memorable game between both clubs happened in the 2008 AFC Divisional Round, as Big Ben made a touchdown-saving tackle on Cato June, who intercepted him on that play.
That led to a field goal miss by the Colts' Mike Vanderjagt, which enabled the Steelers to win 21-18, as they eventually captured the Super Bowl that season.
We say: Indianapolis Colts 10-14 Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickett does not look NFL-ready like many had suggested heading into the draft, but he is maturing slowly, while Harris has started to make life easier for him with solid gains on the ground.
The Steelers have been great at slowing down the run, while the Colts seem to be short on alternatives if their rushing attack begins to sputter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
