The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 16, 2023, in Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season. Here are takeaways and highlights from the game.
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Final Score: Colts 30, Steelers 13
In a jam-packed AFC race where six teams entered the weekend 7-6, both the Steelers and Colts entered this contest needing a win. The Steelers raced out to a 13-0 lead one minute into the second quarter but would not score again. The Colts assumed control of the game in the second half to come away with the 30-13 win.
With a need to turn first drives into points, the Colts moved the ball well early in the first quarter but failed to add points as Matt Gay missed his third consecutive field goal. The Steelers answered with a successful march down the field of their own, ending up with a Mitchell Trubisky one-yard run to take a six-point lead after Chris Boswell missed the extra point.
What ensued early in the second should have wrestled momentum firmly in the Steelers’ favor. On a punt attempt by Rigoberto Sanchez, the Steelers successfully got into the backfield to block the punt. Not long after, Diontae Johnson caught a short pass from Trubisky to put Pittsburgh up 13.
The Colts buckled in and got to work after this, getting on the board with a Zack Moss touchdown run three minutes later. To finish a drive where Gardner Minshew marched the Colts 75 yards in just 22 seconds, aided by a pass interference penalty, the 27-year-old quarterback hooked up with D.J. Montgomery for a 14-yard touchdown. The Colts entered halftime up one point, 14-13.
The Colts rolled into the second half to ultimately put this contest to bed, starting with Minshew’s third and final touchdown pass on the day immediately following a Najee Harris fumble. After this, no more touchdowns would be scored by either side, and the final points on the day would come on three Matt Gay field goals from increasingly longer distances.
The Colts walked away with the crucial 30-13 win at home, shutting down a Steelers team now in a tailspin.
Highlights
HUGE SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY‼️
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/hdPYPXlFY8
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 16, 2023
Zack Moss punches it through for six. #ProBowlVote
📺 NFLN pic.twitter.com/xGXi4hOLxq
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 16, 2023
DJ ➡️ TD
📺 NFLN pic.twitter.com/sKFcYdZ2TE
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 16, 2023
Challenge > Turnover > Snap > Score
📺 NFLN pic.twitter.com/Pox1r3REuu
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 16, 2023
Looking Forward
With the two remaining 7-6 teams in the AFC hunt set to play on Sunday (Houston at Tennessee and Buffalo at Dallas), the Steelers need at least one of them to lose. Another disappointing performance now has Pittsburgh’s season very much on the rocks after they entered the month controlling their own playoff destiny.
The Steelers return to Saturday football next weekend when they square off with division rival Cincinnati. The offensive issues Pittsburgh has continued to endure have not gone away, and with an unfavorable final three games awaiting them (vs. Bengals, at Seahawks, at Ravens), their path to the playoffs may be damaged beyond repair, regardless of the results of Sunday’s games and beyond.
The Colts, meanwhile, move to 8-6 and await the results of Sunday’s games. With a Houston win against Tennessee and another Jaguars loss, the AFC South will feature a three-way tie with three weeks of the season remaining.
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