The Pittsburgh Steelers secured a 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts on November 2, breaking a two-game losing streak and moving to a 5-3 record. The Colts entered the matchup with one of the league’s top offenses, ranking in the top seven in 16 out of 17 offensive categories. Running back Jonathan Taylor had been leading the NFL in carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns, and was on track for his second career “Triple Crown,” a feat last achieved multiple times by Jim Brown.
Despite recent struggles—allowing 68 points and 924 total net yards in losses to Cincinnati and Green Bay—the Steelers’ defense managed to contain Taylor, holding him to just 18 yards on seven carries early in the game. Coach Mike Tomlin commented before the game, “No disrespect to their body of work and what they’ve done, but this is the National Football League. Every weekend you’ve got to prove it. You begin anew every weekend. That applies to us, that applies to those we compete against.”
Following the victory, Tomlin said, “You know, it was a tough week, but we certainly deserved it based on the last performance. I like the way the guys absorbed it, smiled in the face of it, and prepared and waited for the next opportunity. That’s the National Football League. You get one opportunity every seven days. Sometimes you gotta wear it. We certainly wore it this week. I’m appreciative of their spirit, their efforts, their resolve. Certainly, we weren’t perfect in any of the three phases, but we fought. We did what was necessary. We made plays. So it’s a big-time win for the collective.”
Key defensive plays included T.J. Watt’s strip-sack and fumble recovery when Indianapolis was nearing field goal range with a 10-0 lead; Payton Wilson’s interception; Jack Sawyer turning a batted ball into another interception; Alex Highsmith recording two sacks including a strip-sack recovered by Derrick Harmon; Brandin Echols recovering a muffed punt; Joey Porter Jr.’s interception and four passes defensed; and Kyle Dugger playing significant snaps at safety after being traded from New England earlier that week.
Tomlin highlighted Dugger’s contribution: “Can’t say enough about Kyle Dugger. Just gave him the game ball in there. This guy got on the moving train, and played a lot of defense for us today, and we needed it. We were really short at the safety position. We’re running super thin, and that dude came in here and gave us some quality work.”
Jalen Ramsey also played an important role both on defense and as a team leader off the field ahead of Sunday’s game. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers noted Ramsey’s impact: “But I noticed that something kind of changed last night when Jalen spoke… He said good stuff… It was meaningful to me on the offensive side. I felt like we had a different energy in the locker room today.”
With this win over Indianapolis—who were averaging nearly 34 points per game—the Steelers now sit atop the AFC North as they move further into November.
