5 Keys to an Indianapolis Colts Victory Over Pittsburgh Steelers

The Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off on Saturday in a game that has a lot on the line for both teams. Sitting at equal 7-6 records, and coming off of bad losses, these teams have a lot to play for.

Can the Colts return to their winning ways that paved a four-game win streak? Or, will the Steelers continue to add to their impressive eight-game win streak against Indianapolis that spans years of football?

It’s time to discuss the five keys to victory for the Colts as they do everything they can to hold onto a spot in the postseason against the always-tough Steelers.

#1. Get Back to Pressuring the Quarterback

The Steelers won’t have starting QB Kenny Pickett (ankle) on Saturday. Instead, it will be the shaky, but explosive field general Mitch Trubisky.

The Colts were bludgeoned by the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14 by a score of 34-14. In this loss, they recorded no sacks after going into the contest with the second-most in the league (42).

After a hollow performance, look for Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, Dayo Odeyingbo, and DeForest Buckner to come out extra motivated against a Steelers offensive line that is reeling after a bad outing against the New England Patriots.

Given how Trubisky typically responds to pressure, the Colts must put an imperative on getting to the veteran passer. He had several bad throws against the Patriots, so the Colts will look to get Trubisky to return to those habits, forcing turnovers in the process.

#2. Get Zack Moss Back on Track

After starting the 2023 NFL season with the biggest bang possible, Colts running back Zack Moss has come down the Earth in recent weeks, even possibly falling off a cliff, in a sense.

Against the Tennessee Titans and Bengals, Moss had only 79 rushing yards on 32 carries for an average of 2.5 yards per tote. If the Colts want to relieve the pass-rushing of Steelers stalwart T.J. Watt and counterpart Alex Highsmith, then they must run the ball effectively or Minshew will be under pressure all day. Something to note on this, per Pro Football Focus, is the overall pressures from Watt (65) and Highsmith (51) on QBs this season. This displays how often they disrupt passers.

The Steelers aren’t the best at defending the ground attack, even having a bruiser like Cam Heyward, ranking 22nd in the NFL in rushing yards per game allowed (117.9). Given that the Colts couldn’t get anything going against the Bengals (similarly bad in run defense), look for Shane Steichen to put an imperative on attacking this defensive front and getting Moss back on track again.

Speaking of Watt and Highsmith...

#3. Contain T.J. Watt & Alex Highsmith

Now that both Steelers linebackers Watt and Highsmith are cleared to play on Saturday, it means that Steichen’s entire offensive gameplan will likely be molded around accounting for these two.

While everyone knows the name Watt, many overlook Highsmith. However, as a tandem, they can wreak havoc. Below are some notable metrics from the season and PFF.

T.J. Watt: 90.2 pass-rush grade; 14.0 sacks; 52 tackles; 14 tackles for loss; 3 fumbles forced; 1 interception
Alex Highsmith: 83.5 pass-rush grade; 6.0 sacks; 49 tackles; 7 tackles for loss; 2 fumbles forced; 1 interception; 1 defensive TD

As the numbers show, the Colts' offensive line must account for these two, plain and simple.

After Colts tackles Bernhard Raimann and Blake Freeland felt the wrath of Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals, they’ll look to bounce back quickly. But, they don’t get a chance to breathe with this duo on deck. They’ll both need to bring their best if they hope to keep Minshew and the ground game operating well.

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#4. Stop Jaylen Warren & Najee Harris

The Steelers may not have an offensive juggernaut of a scheme, but they still can run the ball effectively with a solid duo like Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris commanding the backfield. Below are the quick numbers for both on the season.

Jaylen Warren: 109 carries; 612 yards; 3 TDs/42 catches; 272 yards
Najee Harris: 171 carries; 690 yards; 4 TDs/24 catches; 149 yards

Given Trubisky’s struggles with volume passing, the emphasis for the Steelers to run the ball well will be heavily leaned on.

Now that the Colts have defensive run stuffer Grover Stewart back in the interior, it will greatly assist in halting anything up the middle. But, the rest of this Colts' defense has to be on high alert, as overall, Indy has struggled against the run in 2023.

Up to this point, they are tied for 27th in rushing yards allowed per game (131.5). This type of performance mustn’t be indicative of their play on Saturday. If the Colts allow too much out of Warren and Harris, it could spell easy completions for Trubisky and less pressure on him in the process.

#5. Involve Will Mallory More

Rookie tight end Will Mallory surfaced in the awful loss to the Bengals, catching the most passes by any tight end in a single game this year for the Colts (5).

While Mallory’s season numbers aren’t eye-popping, his last three games are noteworthy. He’s snagged 9 catches for 79 yards. This is something to note, as the Colts' tight ends haven’t done too much this year in the receiving game.

Given that Patriots tight end Hunter Henry went off on this Steelers defense in their last game, look for arguably the fastest playmaker at the position for the Colts to get more involved.

With a career-best game like what was seen against the Bengals, Mallory could be in for a bigger day than anyone thinks on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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