The Indianapolis Colts (5-3) couldn’t come away with a win on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4) at Heinz Field, dropping the matchup 26-24.
There were several reasons the Colts dropped this game. There were also several reasons they managed to stay in it. It wasn’t a clean game for either team, but the Steelers wound up coming away with the win.
Here are the studs and duds from the Colts’ Week 9 loss:
STUD: WR Zach Pascal
The Colts are going to be without their star wide receiver in T.Y. Hilton for what could be a few weeks, but Pascal has proven in almost every game that he has what it takes to step up into a bigger role. He did so in becoming the WR2, and he did it again when leading the room without Hilton.
Pascal had several big plays for the offense and was one of the favorites of both Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer. Pascal finished with five catches on five targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. He also drew a huge defensive pass interference call (with a little help) that assisted the Colts in their final drive.
There are a lot of question marks with the Colts, but Pascal delivering in big moments isn’t one of them.
DUD: LB Darius Leonard
It isn’t often that Leonard is in this category. But the All-Pro linebacker wasn’t himself this week, and he hasn’t been himself for a while. At least, he hasn’t been making the same type of impact plays as he did in 2018.
Leonard had two big penalties that eventually led to points for the Steelers. While they were questionable calls, he was slapped with two unnecessary roughness penalties. The Steelers scored three points at the end of the half on one of them, which eventually went on to be the difference in the game.
STUD: DE Justin Houston
The veteran defensive end continues to make an impact for the Colts. He finished with another sack against a tough Steelers offensive line—giving him five sacks in the last four games for the Colts.
The Colts defensive line had a strong day setting the tone upfront for the most part, and Houston was a big part of that from the edge. He’s been an impactful player from the edge this season, and it’s telling that he can produce even against some of the strongest offensive lines.
DUD: K Adam Vinatieri
It was another tough day at the office for Vinatieri, especially since the last moment for the Colts ended with his field-goal attempt hooking left quickly. There is a debate as to how much blame should be placed on Vinatieri for missing that kick (laces out, Rigo).
Still, one of his extra-point attempts earlier in the game got blocked, which again took points off the board. The Colts are going to stick by Vinatieri because he’s earned that much, but he is far from the automatic kicker he once was, and it might be necessary for the Colts to see what’s on the market.
STUD: CB Kenny Moore
This was a really nice game for Moore. He started out of the gates hot with some nice coverage downfield against Juju Smith-Schuster on the first drive of the game and then capped off that same drive with an interception on a dropped pass.
Moore also had some impact plays in coverage later in the game that helped the Colts defense get off the field. The slot cornerback saw some time outside with Pierre Desir out with a hamstring injury, and he was a big reason the Colts were so stingy on the day.
