As the clouds in Pittsburgh parted, so, too, did the Indianapolis Colts’ defense when Jaylen Warren had the football in his hands. The dynamic running back put up two long touchdowns as the Steelers defeated the Colts 34-22 to get to 3-2 on the season.
It wasn’t the most promising start for Pittsburgh’s offense, who punted on its first drive on a 4th-and-24 after three plays that netted -15 yards. The Colts turned their first drive into one of five Spencer Schrader field goals, two of which were north
of 55 yards. On the ensuing drive, the Steelers went to pay dirt on the first play, with Warren taking a swing pass 80 yards to the end zone to give the Steelers a lead they would never lose.
After another Colts field goal, the Steelers went 80 yards to the end zone again, this time putting together a 12-play drive that ended with a Pat Freiermuth touchdown, his first of two on the day. The Colts would answer with an 11-play drive that ended with a Tyler Warren touchdown run on fourth-and-goal, which Pittsburgh came within a second-effort push of stopping. After a Chris Boswell field goal, the Steelers took a 17-13 lead into the half.
The Colts began the second-half scoring with a field goal, and then Jaylen Warren found himself in the end zone on another long score, this time a 50-yard rushing score to give the Steelers a 24-16 lead. A pair of field goals got the Colts to within two, but Aaron Rodgers hit Pat Freiermuth for another touchdown midway through the the fourth quarter to put the Steelers up by nine. A second Boswell field goal pushed the score to 34-22, which is where the game would end in a Pittsburgh win to send the Steelers to 3-2.
Warren’s dominance was the biggest story of the day. His 188 yards from scrimmage were the catalyst for Pittsburgh’s offense to put up 30+ points for the second time in three weeks. Aaron Rodgers had a good showing, as well, going 22-of-31 for 235 yards and three touchdowns. It was the third straight game in which Rodgers threw for at least three scores, which ties a Steelers franchise record. On top of Warren and Freiermuth, he was given a lot of help from rookie Germie Bernard, who caught six passes for 80 yards.
The Steelers’ defense kept Jonathan Taylor grounded, allowing just 45 yards on 15 carries. The Steelers yielded just 66 yards on the ground for the day, and the Colts scores just one touchdown.
Pittsburgh will head south in Week 6 to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers, who are coming off an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. It is likely to be undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels under center for the Bucs, once again. Pittsburgh is now tied for the division lead with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals at 3-2, though tiebreakers would still give the edge to Cleveland.
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