Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Victory Monday.
The Kickoff
Some guys have a “type” and some girls have a “type” and the Pittsburgh Steelers clearly have a “type.” The 2025 version of the Black and Goal is fond of games where they turn the opponent over multiple times, sack and/or harass the quarterback and do just enough on offense. When they don’t do those things they don’t win. Yesterday, they did those things in beating the Indianapolis Colts 27-20. The Steelers forced six turnovers and sacked Daniel Jones five times. Aaron Rodgers was largely efficient going 25/35 for 203 yards and a touchdown. This is the way this team finds success. There’s still time to become more complete but they are who they are right now.
Not Good
The Steelers did a lot of nice things Sunday but running the ball was definitely not one of them. They went on to average just 1.8 yards per carry on 23 attempts. Jaylen Warren carried 16 times but recorded just 31 yards. Kenneth Gainwell had -1 yards on three carries. Indy came in with some decent defensive numbers but nothing shocking. The inability to run the ball didn’t cost the Steelers Sunday but it will down the road.
Big Play D
From T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith to Payton Wilson and Joey Porter, Jr, the Steelers’ defense made one splash play after another. You wouldn’t have thought so after that first drive where the Colts went right down the field for seven. The defense stiffened though especially against the run and that put more pressure on Daniel Jones to come through and he couldn’t. It appeared that the defense knew just how short-handed they were in the secondary and wanted to prove they could handle it. For the most part they did just that.
Words of Caution
Mike Tomlin is a lot of things but he understands the assignment when not getting too high or too low after a win or loss. After knocking off the NFL’s number one team he said “This was this week and we’ll see what happens next week.” Wise words for us all. The NFL truly is a week-to-week endeavor. Just ask the Packers who embarrassed us and then lost at home to Carolina (who actually isn’t all that bad!)
Look Beyond the Numbers
One of the things we needed to see going into this game was an increase in time of possession. Keeping the defense off the field and rested is vital to getting out of the game with a win. As it turns out the Colts had a four minute advantage and they also out-gained the Steelers 368-225. Here’s where perspective comes in… It’s difficult to possess the ball for very long when you are given the ball in short field situations by the defense. This doesn’t mean there aren’t areas to improve upon. The Steelers were only 3/6 in the Red Zone and as I mentioned above, the running attack and pass protection weren’t good.
I’m OK With this
Steelers’ WR and Special Teams demon Ben Skowronek was heard yelling “Why in the fuck are you jumping?” as the Colts recovered Roman Wilson’s fumble in the fourth quarter. Some on social media are criticizing Skowronek but not me. He’s exactly right. Wilson has to know the Colts are looking for a turnover and your only job in that situation is to hang on to the football. Wilson should be given the opportunity to bounce back but I think we also had a glimpse as to why isn’t fully trusted on offense yet.
Random Reads
I have no idea why the Colts abandoned the run as early as they did. I thought that was a key area of the game… Great day for Corliss Waitman as he punted five times and averaged 50.5 yards per kick… Were you screaming at the TV when Chris Boswell kicked the ball out of bounds? That was genius by Danny Smith who understood where the ball would be marked considering the Steelers were kicking off 15 yards further up due to a Colts’ Personal Foul on the PAT… I believe Mike Tomlin went for the touchdown on fourth down in the first quarter strictly because he had already seen his defense give up a long drive for a TD. Normally he takes the points there… Easily Payton Wilson’s best game of the season yesterday as he led the team in tackles with 14, had a pick and deflected a ball that Jack Sawyer intercepted… I’m curious to see how the Steelers shuffle their O-Line with Isaac Seumalo potentially out with a pec injury.
Next Week: at LA Chargers Sunday Night 820pmET
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