The Indianapolis Colts once again find themselves exiting a game that came down to the fourth quarter and just like for most of the season, they failed to find a way to leave the game with a victory.
The Pittsburgh Steelers looked like they were in control in the first half after having the 16-3 lead entering halftime. The Colts flipped a switch in the third quarter to storm back to take the 17-16 lead heading into the final quarter.
But, both sides of the ball ended up not carrying all the momentum they built up through the end. The defense gave up the go-ahead touchdown drive to kick off the fourth quarter and the offense couldn’t muster up anything in their comeback attempt.
This was just another story for Indianapolis where they got off to a slow start on offense and shot themselves in the foot anytime they had something positive going for them.
Here are my five takeaways from the Monday night loss to Pittsburgh:
1
Costly Mistakes
Football games can come down to who can make the least mistakes and that team was the Steelers tonight. The Colts’ offense couldn’t help but show the national audience what they have been this season. They got off to a terrible start with Matt Ryan throwing an interception on their second play of the game. Another display of Ryan being under duress and looking to force a throw.
Our ball 💪 @TuneLight1
📲 Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/E0NYNURgPa pic.twitter.com/46vqUyFha7
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 29, 2022
The defense ended up forcing a punt but it’s not a good indicator of future success to give the ball to the opposing team that quickly to start a game. The offense would go on to have two straight three-and-outs. Then there was the failed execution of the field goal attempt before halftime. Pittsburgh was able to block Chase McLaughlin’s 59-yard try.
It would’ve been a career-long for him but the special teams unit didn’t even give us an opportunity to see if he could make it. The biggest mistake came when it looked like Indianapolis was going to be gifted a touchdown. Down 16-10, the Steelers jumped offsides on a field goal attempt to keep the drive alive. Then it was a third down DPI penalty that put the offense at the one-yard line but a failed quarterback-running back exchange led to a lost fumble.
A red zone fumble recovery for the @Steelers!
📺: #PITvsIND on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/PvpVdrwXpl pic.twitter.com/WLPUb7NgUF— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2022
The Colts miss a chance to go up 17-16. They scored on their next drive to get the lead but you wonder, how does the game end if they have a 24-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter?
The biggest blunder that will be talked about is Jeff Saturday’s nonusage of the timeouts on the final attempt to tie the game. A lot of time was burnt and the offense had their moments where they needed to reset and readdress the situation they were in.
Self-inflicted wounds have haunted this team in 2022 and it doesn’t seem like they will be ending anytime shortly.
2
Kenny Pickett played mistake free
The Steelers quarterback didn’t light up the world in primetime but he made smart decisions with the ball and never gave an opportunity for the defense to create a turnover. Kenny Pickett was able to sit in the pocket and deliver throws to his receivers throughout the night. He was also showcasing his mobility by avoiding pressure to keep plays alive and picking up yards with his legs.
He did the majority of his work in the first half. By halftime, he had 133 of the 174 passing yards that he finished with. After having a quiet third quarter, it was the game-winning touchdown drive that he delivered for his team. Two third-down completions kept the drive alive and one put them at the three-yard line.
Pickett did cap it off by delivering a great throw to George Pickens for the two-point conversion to give the Steelers the 24-16 lead.
Kenny Pickett to George Pickens for the 2-point conversion!
"We might be seeing this combination for a while."- Troy Aikman
24-17 Steelers in the 4th quarter. 🏈 #MNF pic.twitter.com/iRv9JWT8HQ
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 29, 2022
Overall, Pickett had 174 passing yards and 32 rushing yards. But, most importantly, zero turnovers. The Colts’ defense failed to fluster the rookie and he ended up getting them when it mattered.
3
Hello, Jelani Woods!
It has been a relatively quiet rookie season for Jelani Woods since his two-touchdown performance against the Kansas City Chiefs back in September. After a two-game absence due to a shoulder injury, the first-year tight end exploded to help jolt some energy into a struggling offense in the third quarter of the game. Woods did have a bad drop which hurt the Colts from getting a better field goal position before halftime but he caught every target after that.
His night kicked off on the second drive of the second half for the offense. He caught three balls for 28 yards and two of those went for a first down. Woods kicked off the next drive with a 14-yard reception and took another 28-yards on a third down to set up the go-ahead score for Indianapolis.
Big play for the rookie Jelani Woods #ForTheShoe
📺: #PITvsIND on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/PvpVdrwXpl pic.twitter.com/nksSCT38hy— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2022
The rookie finished his night with eight receptions for 98 yards on nine targets. It was a nice coming-out party for Woods. Let’s see if he can carry this into a strong finish to his Year 1 in the NFL.
4
Rough night for rush defense
The Colts have been pretty strong against the run this season. Tonight wasn’t the case. The Steelers were able to pick up little chunks of yards throughout the night to put the offense in favorable third-down situations. Indianapolis had some short-down stops but Pittsburgh was able to convert others that kept drives alive and punched some into the endzone.
Prior to halftime, their stud back, Najee Harris left with an injury and was ruled out prior to the third quarter. But that didn’t matter. Benny Snell, who didn’t have a carry this season, ended up being Pittsburgh’s leading rusher. He ran the ball 12 times for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Anthony McFarland broke off some runs as well. He finished with six rushing attempts for 30 yards. If you take out Kenny Pickett’s rushing production, the Steelers’ backfield averaged 4.67 YPC. 11 of their 22 first downs came on rushes.
It was an uncharacteristic night for the front seven against the run but it didn’t help out the Colts that their offense was leaving them on the field for most of the night.
5
Disappointing night for the passing attack
Should it even be a surprise that the Colts’ passing attack once again was putrid? This was supposed to be a game in that they should’ve been able to find some success. The Steelers were giving up the most passing YPG entering Week 12 but even this offense couldn’t capitalize on that. They found no success in the first half.
By the time Indianapolis was regrouping in the locker room, Matt Ryan had 36 passing yards. The offensive line had its struggles but two of their three sacks came from defensive backs. One was a blitz and the other was a defender flying up when Ryan was looking to escape the pocket.
There should be some credit to Braden Smith. He was able to keep T.J. Watt in check and helped hold him to zero sacks. The pass protection could’ve been better but most of the sacks and QB hits came down to the receivers not getting open and Ryan failing to pull the trigger to get the ball out of his hands.
Ryan ended his night going 22/34 for 199 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Michael Pittman Jr. did show up after a rough first half. He was the second-leading receiver with seven catches for 61 yards on 11 targets. Ryan connected with him on the go-ahead score.
Matt Ryan to Michael Pittman Jr. to give the #Colts the lead!pic.twitter.com/Sn6cDTo0gE
— Cody Manning (@CodyTalksNFL) November 29, 2022
Outside of Jelani Woods and Pittman Jr., it’s crickets for the rest of the boxscore. Both Parris Campbell and Mo Alie-Cox combined for four catches for 28 yards on six targets. Alec Pierce got blanketed on his two targets.
This could’ve been a night that Indianapolis got a glimpse of what they thought they had with Ryan and the receivers entering the season but we were once reminded of that vision Chris Ballard had for it was not the answer.
