Pittsburgh Review

The Steelers faced their first defeat of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, losing 27-24 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The game saw the Steelers, who had been leading the NFL in total defense and scoring defense, struggle to maintain their defensive prowess.

The Colts managed to convert 8 of 15 third downs, which played a crucial role in their victory. Quarterback Justin Fields completed 22 of 34 passes for 322 yards and one touchdown while rushing for two more scores. However, his efforts were not enough to secure a win for Pittsburgh.

"I appreciate his fight, but he and we were too sloppy at times," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin regarding Fields' performance, which included two fumbles and four sacks.

The game started poorly for the Steelers as they quickly fell behind 17-0 with the Colts scoring on their first three possessions. "That's on us," said linebacker Patrick Queen. "We can't start slow like that and put our offense in a hole."

Indianapolis opened strong with a 32-yard completion from Anthony Richardson to Michael Pittman Jr., setting up a touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor. Despite moving into Indianapolis territory on their next possession, the Steelers were pushed back due to a penalty on guard Spencer Anderson.

Richardson briefly left the game after an injury but returned only to be hit again by Minkah Fitzpatrick, which ended his participation in the match. Backup Joe Flacco stepped in effectively, throwing a touchdown pass to Josh Downs.

The situation worsened for Pittsburgh when Fields was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from their own 39-yard line. This turnover led to another score by Indianapolis via a Matt Gay field goal.

Tomlin commented on this phase of play: "We didn't think time of the essence at that point. First, we had to stop kicking our own butt."

Pittsburgh's offensive struggles continued with George Pickens losing a fumble inside the Colts' five-yard line late in the second quarter. They finally scored with a Chris Boswell field goal as time expired in the first half.

Despite some promising moments in the second half including touchdowns from Fields and Pat Freiermuth, mistakes continued to plague Pittsburgh’s efforts. A key moment came when rookie center Zach Frazier snapped before Fields was ready resulting in significant yardage loss during what could have been a game-winning drive.

"It was my fault," admitted Fields about this critical error towards game's end.

Jonathan Taylor finished with 21 carries for 88 yards contributing significantly alongside Flacco's strategic plays post-Richardson's exit due injury mid-game while Cam Heyward acknowledged defensive shortcomings particularly against early rushes stating “In second half we were better but eighty-five yards within single half is unacceptable.”