The Indianapolis Colts‘ offense had been historic, with the Steelers’ defense trending in the complete opposite direction. Of course, some outside factors may have played a factor — outdoor stadium, the Colts are historically bad in Pittsburgh, the offense was due for a poor showing, etc. Regardless, the Colts’ offense came back down to earth on Sunday against the Steelers.
After eight weeks of play, the Colts’ offense was more than just dominant; it had been, as previously mentioned, historic. Head
coach and offensive playcaller Shane Steichen was leading an operation that was rewriting 21st-century history books with each given week. Mixing an offense full of complexities with simple concepts in turn birthed one of the most awe-inspiring yet shocking starts to an offense’s season. Scoring early and often, Steichen’s Colts offense was near indestructible, that is, until they were stopped dead in their tracks by the current-day Steel Curtain.
Four turnovers in eight weeks? Try six turnovers in four quarters.
The Indianapolis Colts had committed the T-3rd fewest turnovers across the NFL (4) through eight games. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, however, the Colts went above and beyond their well-established ball security by turning the ball over on six separate occasions (3 INTs, 3 Fumbles Lost).
Most valuable player candidate quarterback Daniel Jones had easily his worst performance as a Colt yet: 31-50 for 342 passing yards (6.8 avg), 2 touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing), 3 interceptions, lost 2 fumbles, and was sacked five times.
Would you believe me if I said that despite this showing, he willed them back to a one-deficit score and a successful onside kick away from giving Aaron Rodgers a taste of his own medicine (a Hail Mary)?
Jones doubled both his interception and fumbles lost season totals in just one game. It was a disastrous showing that even had flashes that seemed like Jones was still sporting the red and blue Giants helmet. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen the light when it comes to what he’s able to do with an above-average supporting cast and offensive line, but I do not see Jones’ five-turnover day as a sign of things to come. At least not yet.
As somewhat alluded to, Jones have may looked like his past self at times versus the Steelers because of the same issues that kept him from thriving in New York. While Indy’s supporting cast of passcatchers have hardly, if ever, proven to be the reason for the offense’s shortcomings at any given moment this season, neither has the offensive line, yet it was the latter who let down Daniel Jones today.
This is not to suggest that the Colts lost and/or the offense struggled solely because of the offensive line’s play (or lack thereof), but it undeniably played a massive role in said deterioration. Once again, Daniel Jones was by no means good enough today. He was by far the worst he’s been all year by allowing his process to be sped up, not throwing hot when applicable, and being overall careless with the ball, but these are all the telltale signs of past Daniel Jones. He is not absolved of his shortcomings against the Steelers, and this isn’t a Paul Revere-type of warning that he will indeed revert to his old ways, but rather, an attempt to understand why Jones looked the way he did against the Steelers.
According to Next Gen Stats, quarterback Daniel Jones was pressured a season-high 18 times, completing just 6 of 13 attempts for 88 yards and 2 INTs while under duress. The Steelers’ defense recorded five sacks against Jones, including two strip-sacks. From a clean pocket, Jones was more effective, completing 25 of 37 passes for 254 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Furthermore, when cross-referencing with Pro Football Focus’s in-game live data and NGS’s coverage metrics, you can better grasp how the early pressure affected Jones, even when Pittsburgh didn’t blitz.
Jones was not blitzed on any of the five sacks he took, according to PFF, and although he was only credited as having two of his passes being batted balls, it sure seemed like Pittsburgh’s defense was knocking down passes at the line no fewer than four times. He struggled mightily over the middle of the field until the defense backed off in soft coverage for a prevent-heavy fourth quarter while Indy attempted the comeback. A significant shift in coverage tendencies allowed Pittsburgh’s struggling defense to not only rebound, but thoroughly halt Indy’s dominant start offensively.
In Week 9, the Steelers defense showed a significant shift in coverage tendencies, using split-safety coverage on a season-high 46.4% of dropbacks after entering the week with the second-lowest split-safety usage rate in the NFL (28.2%).
Furthermore, the Steelers’ defense hadn’t been under a 60% single-high (one safety) coverage rate all season, that is, until they played the Colts. Perhaps it was nothing more than a self-realization that things needed to change in general, but regardless, it stymied Indy’s unstoppable offense entirely — including that of the Colts’ other MVP candidate through eight weeks in superstar running back Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor was limited to just 45 rushing yards on 14 carries (as well as 2-2 through the air for 12 yards). His 3.2 yards per carry was by far his worst single-game average of the season. The Steelers were able to limit Taylor’s legs which, in turn, allowed the defense’s pass coverage to be prepared for clear dropback scenarios.
It was a fantastic game plan for Pittsburgh defensively, one they executed to near perfection. Despite this, and it must be acknowledged that ‘garbage time’ played some what of a factor in the final score, but the Colts simply never gave up. They committed six turnovers yet crawled back in the second half to make it a one-score loss. The loss may concern fans and analysts across the NFL, but the Colts are not worried; they’re almost oddly calm, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder.
“It doesn’t feel good in the moment, but in the NFL, sometimes these things happen,” Colts running back Jonathan Taylor told Holder post-game in the locker room.“The great teams find a way to… overcome this.”
There’s a lot that can be made of the Colts’ disappointing loss in Pittsburgh, but one thing is for sure: the sky is not falling. It might eventually, but as of Week 9, the 7-2 Colts are nothing if not a hard out. This time will fight tooth and nail, no matter how over the game has been deemed. If anything, this loss may have given the Colts offense a chip on their shoulder(s).
