The Indianapolis Coltskept it competitive with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most of the game, cutting it to a two-point deficit in the fourth quarter. However, Pittsburgh pulled away late in the game to win 34-22.
Pittsburgh completely stuffed running back Jonathan Taylor, who was held to 45 rushing yards, and half of those came on one play. This is also the second game of the season where he did not have a touchdown. Since 2021, the Colts are 1-7 in games where Taylor had under 50 rushing yards and did not score a touchdown.
Here is a look at the good, bad, and ugly from the Colts' third loss of the season, this time against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Good
Some chunk plays in the passing game: Without Alec Pierce, the Colts have struggled to generate
explosive passing plays. But during Sunday's game, Daniel Jones and his pass catchers found some success. Josh Downs had a 42-yard reception, while Tyler Warren had a 29-yard reception. Jones had two other completions of 20-plus yards.
Spencer Shrader: Without kicker Spencer Shrader, Indianapolis gets blown out in this game. He finished the game making all five of his field goal attempts and his extra point attempt. His kicks were not easy either, as two of his kicks were beyond 55 yards and one of them was 40 yards.
Tyler Warren: Warren stepped up in a big way for the Colts with a rushing touchdown on fourth down, and he was the leading receiver with seven receptions for 83 yards, including a 29-yard reception. Especially with Alec Pierce out, Indianapolis needed a major receiving threat, and Warren has been that player, and this was his best game of the season so far.
The Bad
Red zone efficiency: Indianapolis got into the red zone three times, but only scored a touchdown once. It was also their only touchdown in the game. Scoring just one touchdown is not a recipe for success, and scoring just once on three red zone possessions is also bad. A struggling run game didn't help the Colts move the ball in this area of the field.
Run game: This is partially attributable to the Steelers' defense, but Indianapolis couldn't get the run game going. The Colts finished the game with just 66 rushing yards, their fewest in a game this season. The lack of a run game put added pressure on the passing game.
The Ugly
Penalties: Through the first four games of the season, the Colts were pretty disciplined with only 16 total penalties. However, they had a season-high in penalties (nine) and penalty yards (59) against the Steelers. Penalties always put you at a disadvantage, but it was especially alarming for a team that usually does not have this problem.
Missed tackles: This has been a problem throughout the season and was again prevalent in Sunday's loss. PFF credited the Colts with eight missed tackles. Those missed plays led to a lot of extra yards for the Steelers' offense. Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaitherspoke about this issue after the game.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts vs Steelers: Good, bad and ugly from another loss
