Some NFL road venues present a tactical challenge; the Pittsburgh Steelers' home, Acrisure Stadium, is such a sports hex for the Indianapolis Colts.
Indianapolis enters Pittsburgh for a high-stakes Week 5 clash seeking to snap an agonizing drought. The Colts have not won a game in the Steel City since November 2008. That distant victory arrived when Peyton Manning was still orchestrating the offense, a lifetime ago in modern football terms.
Despite changing head coaches, franchise quarterbacks, and defensive schemes, the outcome on the North Shore remained remarkably static. On a recent episode of the “Locked on Steelers” podcast, guest Jake Arthur of “Locked on Colts” marveled at the sheer absurdity of the nearly two-decade drought.
"No, it's
crazy. Like the fact that the Colts still have things that they haven't done since Peyton Manning is just mindboggling, and it's like the recipe has been different a lot of times. Like it used to be Ben Roethlisberger throwing for like 500 yards and four touchdowns. And 2 minutes, 6 seconds was a super ugly game where, Pittsburgh just gets gifted like 20 points based on turnovers last year because, right, like you said, the Colts were unreal and unbeatable until they weren't last year."
The breakdown highlights the central mystery of the matchup; context rarely alters the script. Whether facing Hall of Fame passing clinics or late-game turnover meltdowns, Indianapolis routinely finds ways to lose in Pittsburgh.
The inexplicable streak leaves opposing analysts scrambling for non-football explanations, according to Arthur.
"And then so yeah, I don't I don't know what kind of witchcraft is going on, but the Colts are in the midst of a curse right now,” added Arthur. “And Pittsburgh is just it's the home to some witches. If you're the Colts, I don't know how else to explain it."
If Indianapolis hopes to salvage its season, Shane Steichen's roster must conquer both Mike McCarthy’s defense and eighteen years of ghost-hunting on the North Shore.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Inside the Acrisure Stadium curse tormenting the Colts
