INDIANAPOLIS — Last time Kenny Pickett was in this building, he was going through the paces at the NFL combine and cementing himself as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 draft class. This time around, there were far more fans in the stands, but Pickett pulled through with poise and big throws to help the Steelers beat the Colts 24-17 on Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
That’s eight consecutive wins for the Steelers against Indianapolis, and four in a row in this dome. Pickett outplayed his 37-year-old counterpart, too, who struggled — especially early — against a Steelers defense that did just enough against a team led by interim coach Jeff Saturday, who was on the ESPN set as an analyst just a few weeks ago.
Matt Ryan got better as the game went on, even picking apart the Steelers secondary at times in the second half, but he threw an early interception to James Pierre that put his offense in a hole and star running back Jonathan Taylor fumbled a hand-off just short of the goal line that defensive end Chris Wormley fell on to cost the Colts precious points.
The Steelers still managed to lose the lead at 17-16 with 16 seconds left in the third quarter, though that just set the stage for Pickett to have what could turn out to be his coming-of-age drive on the ensuing possession. He finished with 174 yards on 20-of-28 passing, adding 34 yards rushing on five carries.
It was over when: Saturday’s coaching inexperience showed as he mismanaged the clock on the Colts’ final drive, and on 4th-and-3 at the Steelers 26, Ryan’s target for Parris Campbell was broken up by Minkah Fitzpatrick with 24 seconds left.
Player of the game: Pickett. He wasn’t perfect, but he was at his best so far as a pro. Back-shoulder throws, a laser to Pickens for the two-point conversion, a couple first-down conversions with his feet. There was a missed throw to Pickens in the end zone that should’ve been a touchdown late in the first half and some sacks taken when he might have been able to escape or get the ball out of his hands, but Pickett looked very much like a quarterback the Steelers can build around and win with on this night — his first road win, first prime-time victory and first fourth-quarter comeback. Pickett completed seven consecutive passes at one point in the first half, doing it all against the league’s No. 1 passing defense.
Trending up: Benny Snell. Where did that come from? With backup running back Jaylen Warren out because of a hamstring injury, the Steelers elevated 2020 fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland from the practice squad for this one. But it was the 2019 fourth-rounder who was needed more in the wake of an abdominal injury to Najee Harris, who was ruled out at halftime. Relegated solely to special teams duty until Warren got hurt last week, Snell made good use of his opportunity and rushed for 62 yards on 12 carries, including the winning 2-yard touchdown plus a 16-yarder in the first half.
Trending down: Dan Moore Jr. The left tackle looked like the preseason version of himself that had many wondering if the Steelers needed to trade for offensive line help. Moore was called for an obvious hold early on, then gave up one or two sacks in the first quarter, depending on where you want to pin the blame. Either way, he isn’t doing much to quiet the noise around the team’s need to upgrade at the most significant position on the line this offseason.
Next up: The Steelers stay on the road and play in another dome Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where the Falcons are reeling with a 5-7 record but are only a half-game behind the Buccaneers for the NFC South lead.
