Opponent Profile: Colts A Better Match With Steelers In Week 13
By Christina Rivers
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 6-5 this season with a loss against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. They return to Heinz Field in week 13 of the 2015 NFL regular season to host an Indianapolis Colts team that was able to hamstring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 25-12, with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback. When the Colts lost Andrew Luck to injury (a lacerated kidney and torn abdominal muscle) things were uncertain. Indianapolis now sits in a good position at the top of the AFC South in a close race with the Houston Texans. Both teams are also 6-5 on the season. The Colts are arguably playing the best football they have all season and have won their last three games in their own march toward the playoffs.
The Colts on offense
Indianapolis has put Hasselbeck in charge of their offense in place of Luck and he has completed 97 of 150 passes (64.7 percent) for 1,023 yards for seven touchdowns with two interceptions. On Sunday, Hasselbeck had possibly his best game, notching his first 300-yard passing game since 2011. A revamped offensive line gave Hasselbeck the protection he needed to throw two touchdown passes when the Colts were only able to run for 27 yards on 26 carries and watched rusher Ahmad Bradshaw forced from the game with a wrist injury that ended his season.
The Colts move to sign Boom Herron last week looks even smarter with Bradshaw down and Frank Gore and Zurlon Tipton the other options in the offensive backfield. Gore will move to the top running back position against the Steelers. The Colts should rely more on the wide receiver duo of T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief that have been getting some looks around the league. Andre Johnson is still a viable receiver, but Moncrief has shown lately that he deserves the second spot in the offense.
The Indy defense
The Colts have struggled at times this season and are ranked 26th in overall defense, 27th in passing yards allowed per game (272.8) and 24th in rushing yards allowed (115.1) through week 12. Linebacker Jerrell Freeman recorded six run stops against the Buccaneers before leaving the game with a hamstring injury – a number that Pro Football Focus ranks as second in the league for the week among all inside linebackers. Rookie safety Clayton Geathers made his second career start and was physical, taking some of the pain away from the loss of Mike Adams. Outside linebacker Trent Cole had his best game with the Colts after only recording two quarterback hits through the first ten games by registering a sack and four hits on Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston.
D'Qwell Jackson is the Colts leading tackler on defense, but it is the play of Erik Walden and Kendall Langford on the defensive front that has stood out. Walden and Langford have combined for six sacks, a forced fumble and 60 tackles. Outside linebacker Robert Mathis has declined overall in 2015, but has still recorded a team-leading four sacks. Mathis lost all of the 2014 season with a torn Achilles and hasn't been able to return to his level of dominance, leading the league with 19.5 sacks in 2013. Jackson has added an interception this season, but it is safety Dwight Lowery who leads the team at this point with four interceptions, one he returned for a 69-yard touchdown. With Vontae Davis, Coby Fleener and Darius Butler also snagging errant balls, the Colts have 14 interceptions this season and turned three of them into points on the scoreboard.
Things to watch in Colts, Steelers game
While the Colts did improve their pass rush, they will have their hands full with DeAngelo Williams on the ground. The Steelers got away from the run against the Seattle Seahawks and it hurt them. With the Steelers defensive backfield having a meltdown in Seattle, there has to be concern that Hasselbeck will combine with Hilton and Moncrief to stretch the field, meaning pressure from the defensive front will be imperative. These two teams are much more evenly matched than they were a few weeks ago as they both push for wins in the final five weeks of the season. With Ben Roethlisberger undergoing concussion protocols, the Steelers have to be a bit worried they will be forced to field Landry Jones against the Colts.
Christina Rivers has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers and National Football League professionally as a journalist and photographer for over a decade. Rivers studied Exercise Physiology and Sports Psychology at Brigham Young University as a student-athlete. Christina is a freelance writer covering all things NFL as well as a published author. Her work can be found on
Examiner.com.
