If you don’t think that call is bad, let’s go back to a Colts offensive drive or two prior when Chaz Green was seen front and center absolutely mugging T.J. This game is too close for an official to shit the bed on national television in a game that had major implications for both franchises. Who cares if the officials made a bad call, right? This is why it matters. The Colts were rolling and the Steelers looked like garbage. It’s funny when horrible calls are made in games they seem like they’re not a big deal at the time. Instead, that play was followed by a delay of game and led to second and 20. This took away a huge gain for Nyheim Hines that would have put the Colts offense in business to score yet again in the first half. ![]() Magically, a falling defender who was contacted by Mark Glowinski as he was going to the ground elicits a flag for an illegal block in the back. Remember the illegal block in the back call near the end of the first half? This is when the game was starting to get out of hand. Blitzing became too risky in the second half after Roethlisberger got going. Roethlisberger was hit only twice the entire game. The only sack was created by blitzing safety Khari Willis. The Colts had no pass rush to speak of throughout the entire game. Rock Ya-Sin was torched one-on-one for a deep pass to Diontae Johnson who got going after that big play. His loss didn’t make life any easier for the secondary. On a punt coverage play, starting safety Khari Willis was shaken up and taken back to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. Add another penalty on Xavier Rhodes for illegal contact. Carrie that set up the Steelers with a 1st and goal. A bad pass interference call on Kenny Moore was huge for the Steelers. These drives included pass interference calls on Xavier Rhodes. The defense started the second half by giving up three straight touchdown drives. ![]() With their back against the wall in the fourth quarter, Philip Rivers threw an interception that all but sealed the game. The Colts would punt on their next two offensive drives, including a three-and-out and a five-play drive that netted a grand total of 20 offensive yards. On queue, Pittsburgh charged down the field and scored again, cutting the lead to just three points. The result? A three-and-out and immediately giving the Steelers the ball back with the offense starting to gain some momentum. Rather than stick with what was working, Frank Reich dialed up a quick-strike pass-heavy game plan, including a second down deep passing strike that led to a sack and put the Colts behind the chains. A rhythm predicated on winning in the trenches and running the ball efficiently.Īfter the Steelers scored an early second-half touchdown to cut the lead to 10 points, Indianapolis and its offense came onto the field with a chance to keep things going. This was the Colts offense at its best, establishing a rhythm it would need to maintain as it was grinding its way into the playoffs. It culminated in a 42-yard bomb to Zach Pascal for a first-half score. The efficient short-game in the first half set up a couple of deep shots and kept the Steelers defense off-balance. In the second half? Hines had two total carries in six offensive possessions. Nyheim Hines had six first-half rushes for 27 yards and caught his only passing target for no gain. He had two total carries in the final five offensive possessions and was targeted only once through the air. Three of those five carries came on the first offensive drive for the Colts - which resulted in a field goal. In the second half, Taylor rushed five times for 25 yards. ![]() In the first half, Taylor rushed 13 times for 49 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Jonathan Taylor looked like the breakout player he has been for weeks, well on his way to another 80+ yard rushing performance. They did so by primarily keeping the focus on small, short passes and utilizing running backs who heavily exposed a Steelers defense without answers. The Colts started the game by imposing their will on the offensive line, an incredible accomplishment given that Braden Smith and Anthony Castonzo were both out of the game. ![]() Let’s be fair, Matt Eberflus gets accolades in the first half as a head coaching candidate and also comes out in the second half and gets gashed. The odds of scoring three second-half touchdowns against a defense that has been dominant in the second halves of football games felt like zero.Įnter Frank Reich and the Colts offense, or lack thereof. The Steelers looked like a team that had no identity and entirely lost, both on the field and on the sidelines. The Indianapolis Colts were rolling in Pittsburgh in the first half.
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