It’s Sunday and that means it’s game time for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh had a short week after beating the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football and unfortunately, injuries in that game have hobbled the offense. But there’s no time to sit and feel sorry for themselves, Pittsburgh needs this win to pull to .500 at the midway point of the season.
Here are our keys to victory.
Find a way to hit Jacoby Brissett
No team protects its quarterback better than the Steelers. Pittsburgh has only allowed seven sacks all season. But the Colts are fourth in the league only allowing 11. The Steelers, on the other hand, have harassed quarterbacks all season long. If they want to beat the Colts, they must make Brissett uncomfortable.
Defense must create turnovers
The Colts are No. 4 in the league in giveaways with only seven. By contrast, the Steelers are No. 2 in the league in takeaways with 19. Something has to give here as it will be strength vs strength when the Colts have the football.
Support Jaylen Samuels
Pittsburgh is going to be severely shorthanded at running back this week. Samuels is a good player but he cannot do it all. You factor in the absence of guard Ramon Foster and it becomes clear this offense is going to need everyone to contribute including the tight end position, which has been invisible this season.
Hit big plays in the passing game
We saw Mason Rudolph showing more confidence last week with his willingness to throw the ball deep. Rudolph understands how important it is to get the football to his playmakers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson. This aspect of the Steelers offense could be the difference this week.
Match the Colts physicality
Indianapolis likes to come out and punch teams in the mouth. The Steelers have been winning with athleticism. We’re gonna find out pretty quickly which way works when these teams clash.
