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After having a "funeral" held for them pregame, it was the Steelers' defense that led the way during Sunday's 27-20 upset win over the Colts.
Pittsburgh's defense forced five turnovers of Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones that set up 24 points. In all, the Steelers forced six turnovers, their highest single-game total since Week 1 of the 2018 season. The turnovers allowed the Steelers to improve to 5-3 while snapping their two-game losing streak. Conversely, the Colts dropped to 7-2 while seeing their four-game winning streak come to an end.
Indianapolis scored on its opening drive and was leading 7-0 early in the second quarter when T.J. Watt forced the Steelers' first turnover, a strip-sack of Jones that Watt recovered. The turnover set up a short touchdown run by Jaylen Warren.
Pittsburgh took the lead for good moments later when Aaron Rodgers parlayed Payton Wilson's pick of Jones into a red zone touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth. The Steelers tacked on a field goal just before halftime to take a 17-7 lead at intermission.
The Colts tried to rally back in the second half, but more miscues prevented them from pulling off the comeback. Indianapolis lost despite being out-gaining Pittsburgh, 368-225.
Here's a closer look at how Pittsburgh pulled off the upset.
Turning point
As noted above, the Colts appeared to be in control during the game's first 18 minutes. The offense scored a touchdown on their opening drive, and their defense forced a turnover on downs while not allowing the Steelers to capitalize on a muffed punt deep in their own territory.
But just when it appeared like a cakewalk win for the Colts, the Steelers received a massive play from their best player at a time when they desperately needed it.
Watt's play changed the completion of the game while offering a foreshadowing of how the rest of the afternoon would unfold.
Taylor held in check
In addition to forcing turnovers, the Steelers contained Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who entered the game as the NFL's leading rusher. Taylor had just 23 yards on eight carries in the first half and finished the day with a season-low 45 yards on 14 carries.
With Taylor neutralized, the Colts leaned heavily on Jones, who went 31 of 50 with 342 yards and a touchdown pass. But he also threw three picks and put two balls on the ground.
Indianapolis lost despite largely dominating the shat sheet. One of the most surprising stats from this game was the Colts being 5 of 5 on fourth down that included Rodney Thomas' conversion on a fake punt deep in Indianapolis territory. That drive ultimately ended with Watt's fateful strip-sack and fumble recovery.
Steelers young defenders step up
Pittsburgh's defensive performance included some big plays from some of its younger players.
In addition to his pick, Wilson's tip of a Jones pass late in the third quarter led to rookie Jack Sawyer's first career interception. The turnover helped set up Warren's second touchdown run that ultimately proved to be the game-winning score.
Pittsburgh's first points in the third quarter were set up by Alex Highsmith's strip-sack of Jones that was recovered by first-round pick Derrick Harmon.
Steelers offense does just enough
Gritty was the best way to describe Pittsburgh's offense on Sunday. While it was not pretty, the Steelers got the yards and made the plays needed to capitalize on the turnovers created by their defense.
Pittsburgh got another efficient game from Rodgers, who went 25 of 35 for 203 yards and one touchdown and no turnovers. His favorite two wideouts were wideout Calvin Austin III and 6-foot-7 tight end Darnell Washington, who caught a combined 9 of 12 targets for 99 yards.
Dugger gets a game ball
Safety Kyle Dugger, who was acquired via a trade with the Patriots less than a week ago, was presented with a game ball following Sunday's game. With Pittsburgh's secondary reeling from an injury standout, Dugger started and played a key role in Sunday's success. He had three tackles and played in all but one of Pittsburgh's 73 defensive snaps.
"Can't say enough about Kyle Dugger," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of his new safety. "This guy got on a moving train, man, and played a lot of defense for us today. And we needed it. We were really short at the safety position. … We were running super thin. And that dude came in here and gave us some quality work. And we're certainly appreciative of that."
