Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Can Hobbled Indianapolis Colts Fend Off Undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers?
Episode Date: September 27, 2024The Indianapolis Colts (1-2) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) on Sunday, but they'll be shorthanded due to injuries. However, that was also the case last year in a lopsided win for the Colts. Will h...istory repeat itself? Become a Locked On Colts insider! Ask your burning questions and get prompt answers from someone who's around the team every day! Get special access from the locker room, practice field, and press box! JOIN HERE! Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram! Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet, and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.RobinhoodThe new gold standard is here with Robinhood Gold. Sign up at robinhood.com/gold Terms apply, for product specific disclosures visit robinhood.com/gold. Investing involves risk. Rate may change. Gold membership is offered by Robinhood Gold, LLC.DoorDashUse promo code LOCKEDFALL24 for 50% off up to $10 value, when you spend $15+ on your first order. Limited time offer. Terms apply. Promo is not valid for orders containing alcohol.PrizePicksGo to https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code lockedonmlb to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus; it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelPlace your first FIVE DOLLAR bet, and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - guaranteed! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
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Discussion (0)
The Colts and Steelers are about to enter into a game where both sides would probably prefer to be in a fist fight,
but the path to victory for both is probably to make the other quarterback throw all day long.
So who's going to win? Let's get to it.
You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast.
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This is Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks of HorseshoeHuddle.com. I'm your resident media member
for the site and Zach is your resident film nerd for the site. And today it is our final wrap up
of Colts and Steelers. This one should be, I would say,
entertaining. Entertaining for us, maybe Zach, but like for the general watching eye on TV,
probably not. So both teams incredibly banged up, both sides not going great. Two teams where the
quarterback is a stronger runner than a thrower right now.
And both sides are probably going to try and make the other side throw quite a bit,
which could get a little sticky.
But yeah, overall, it's a matchup from December last year where the Colts won handily 30 to 13.
But I'm just not getting the same vibes from this one.
I'm getting a much lower scoring vibe.
So let's go ahead and just start with the offensive side of the ball for the Colts, Zach.
Injury-wise, you're looking at starting center Ryan Kelly and right tackle Braden Smith are questionable.
Not what you want when you're going up against Cam Hayward and TJ Watt.
But for the Pittsburgh side of it, Alex Highsmith is out.
That's obviously bad news for them, but decent news for the Colts.
Herbig has stepped up and is playing some pretty good football with Highsmith out.
But still, that's a little bit of a sigh of relief for the Colts.
Let's say that both Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith are out, though.
That is troublesome.
Because with Ryan Kelly out, you're probably looking at Danny Pinter
unless the Colts just want to say, hey, Tanner Bordellini, you've been a healthy scratch.
Let's go ahead and just throw you in at center right away.
And then if Braden Smith is out, it's probably going to be Matt Gonsalves because Blake Freeland
has been a healthy scratch throughout the season.
So either way you look at it, not great.
Yeah, if Ryan Kelly's out,
it means Danny Pinter is going to be handling the protection calls on the offensive line,
which is something he's done in the past. So it's good that the Colts have a player with some game
experience there behind Ryan Kelly, but still not super ideal. And also his archetype of player
going against a nose tackle like Keanu Blanton, who is one of the more powerful defensive
tackles in football, extremely strong, displacing defensive tackle, not a great fit. And then
obviously TJ Ward versus any non-top offensive tackle is that's where he gets all his sacks.
He kills like he's good against the good tackles, but when he goes against the bad offensive
tackles or the young offensive tackles that's
where you start seeing him get up and closer to the 20 sacks a year type things it's kind of a lot
like his brother JJ where JJ Watt again great against everyone but TJ Watt and JJ Watt when
they get that prime matchup they'll go off for four or five sack games and you'll be like oh gosh
20 is well within reach for these guys so definitely don't want to be down Braden Smith. I think Braden Smith will go.
I'm not super, like, that's nothing like insider source or anything,
but him coming back to practice in full on Thursday
and him also missing practice last week with the knee injury
and still playing on Sunday and being fine
just gives me some more hope in terms of him playing.
Ryan Kelly with it being a neck injury,
a little more
concerned with that one there but uh yeah they need to bring Smith back out there really bad
because the Colts biggest advantage over opponents with their offense this year has been their
offensive line their offensive line I think in terms of pro football focus grades is number one
in run blocking efficiency and number one in pass blocking efficiency. And while Kelly and Smith might be their fourth and fifth best starters this year,
that's still two really good starters for this team.
That's just because the other three have been playing at an even higher of a level.
So yeah, just if they missed either one of these guys or both of them,
it could be a long day for this Colts offense that's kind of struggled in recent weeks.
I have a theory, and I think it's probably just wishful thinking,
but obviously Anthony kind of makes some of his worst plays
when everything is clean around him and not chaotic.
You know, just the simple act of what should be stepping into a throw,
you know, operating in a calm pocket is when things go kind of haywire.
This guy went when it gets to, you know, hurry up and crunch time and chaos and pressures coming
on him, Adam, that is when it seems like he kind of flourishes. So again, wishful thinking that
the offensive line being banged up and facing Cam Hayward and TJ Watt and just forcing him to move
all around and not be a pocket passer
and having to throw outside the box and everything that might be a good thing like maybe maybe now
it's going to get to him because pittsburgh's a great defense they're yeah easily the number
one defense in the league but it could make anthony richard it could speed his his mind up
a little bit.
I think it can, but also my fear with that is,
and we can talk about with our keys to the game basically with this one,
I really think this is going to be one of those really disgusting, ugly football games that nobody likes to watch,
where the final score is more field goals to fewer field goals.
Whoever scores the more field goals wins the game.
So you're telling me it's coming down to Matt Kay.
Yeah, which is not great for the colts there obviously but um i think it's gonna be one of those type of games so the way that you win games like that is who commits fewer turnovers you know
which team is not turning the ball over which team is winning the field advantage game and which team
is making their field goals and while i think richardson with his process sped up is a better quarterback
because he's not overthinking things. He does have this looser tendency with the ball in his
hands in the pocket. We saw last week should have been a fumble or a pick or whatever that was
when his forward progress was called down in the pocket. That was the Colts only sack allowed in
that game, I believe. But that was one example where that, you know,
should have hurt the Colts. There was a couple last year, you know, I think it was,
he was trying to throw away against the Titans last year, and he threw it backwards for like a 20 yard loss. He threw away with his left hand against the Texans. Like, it's just like moments
like that, where it's like, B, you got to protect the football, you know, and I know he's a young
player, and he's going to get better with that over time. But that's kind of my fear in this game is if he's getting hit more often, say he gets sacked three, four times in this game.
Odds are one or two of those are going to be fumbles because he's still not really used to what NFL defenders are capable of.
So that's my fear, because in this type of game, like, again, whichever team turns the ball over more is probably going to lose that that's how this game is going to be decided because look the Steelers I believe have scored
three offensive touchdowns this year the Colts scored that many in week one against the Houston
Texans this is not a high-powered offense they're going against but the the Steelers are three and
oh because they get a lot of field goals they get down there they get a lot of points on the board
and their defense is good enough to take the ball away and limit you to field goals as well.
So you've got to stay healthy on offense.
You've got to stay high success rate, moving the ball
and winning that field position game.
And you can't win this game turning the ball over,
which has been a pretty big issue for the Colts offense in the last couple weeks.
Yeah, no, this is definitely another one this week
where the Colts have got to get on the board early.
If you guys checked out the crossover with Chris Carter, he also mentioned the Steelers are not a team to play from behind.
You know, their passing game just cannot do it.
They're a run-based team where they have Justin Fields basically acting as like a plus-plus version of what Malik Willis did against the Colts in week two.
So the Colts have, I mean, it's a tough defense. It's a tall task,
but they are also Pittsburgh's D a little prone to blown coverages,
which has resulted in a couple of touchdowns against that defense.
So Alec Pierce, you know, he's got three catches over 40 yards.
This could be like,
I want something successful for 80 Mitchell. Cause
this feels like it could be a good day for it, but his usage is decreasing a plug for Zach's
recent article on horseshoehuddle.com about that very topic. But there's gotta be one or two big
plays in the passing game made in this one in order to really get where they want to go. Cause
just the, the methodical between the 20s type stuff,
I just don't know if the Colts are going to win that battle.
Like, obviously, Pittsburgh is going to try and stop the Colts' run game
and make Anthony pass it a little bit.
Yeah, I mean, if you look at what the Colts did last year to find success,
it was leaning on the run game, obviously, once they got that lead.
But to get the lead, it was a lot of underneath passing,
a lot of, you know, quick outs to Josh Downs, a lot of RPO hits and stuff like that
just to keep the passing offense moving.
Then obviously they got into field goal range, took advantage,
and got some points.
That's, again, going to be the big part of this game.
Can Anthony Richardson and his Colts offense do that, though?
I'm not sure he's at that level yet where he can consistently hit the layups
and move the offense that way.
It might come down
to, you know, the Colts got to run the ball very effectively. And then when they have those chances
for deep shots down the field, they got to take advantage. And again, don't turn the football over.
Like if we're talking wins or losses in this game here, which is a very important part, obviously,
is winning the game. They cannot turn the football over. Like if you get through this game without
turning the ball over on offense,
odds are you're going to win because that's how the Steelers beat you.
They play very, very conservative on football, on offense.
They play very conservative offensive football,
where if they even get behind the sticks like third and eighth,
they're going to just run the ball up the middle,
punt it back to you and make you make the mistakes.
But as long as they can keep getting on offense on their selves,
getting into third and twos, third and threes, and moving the sticks,
they'll settle for their field goals.
They don't care because, like you said, they're built to just sustain a lead,
not really to come from behind.
So as long as they can get that lead, whether it's 3-0, 6-0, 9-0,
whatever it is, they'll just sit on that the whole game,
and they'll act like it's two minutes left in the fourth quarter
with how they play the rest of the game.
So the Colts got to come out out they got to be methodical with their
own offense they got to match stealers the stealers really low scoring type of energy
and just be protective of the football it doesn't mean you can't take your chances
doesn't mean you can't take some shots down the field but it can't be stupid shots it can't be
reckless it can't be being loose with the ball in the pocket because if you give the Steelers a short field they're going to get points on the board that's just how
their offense is um so yeah it's gonna again it's gonna be an ugly game it's gonna be a kicker game
which doesn't bode very well for the Colts right now but that's just the type of game it's gonna
be that's what the Steelers no matter what will either bring you up to their level or bring you
down to their level and then they'll beat you at their game that's what they do so the Colts got to play on the Steelers level in this one, because that's what they're
going to drag you to do. And you got to be protective of the football and move the ball
on offense. Well, the side of the ball where there maybe is a little more confidence is the Colts
defense up against Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh's offense. We'll talk about that here in just a moment.
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run your game all right jake we are talking the battle of the pattern here when it comes to the colts defense
versus the steelers offense because the colts defense right now if you look at their projected
starting lineup from i guess we have to do july for this to make sense here from like july they're
down five of their 11 starters on defense and it's week four of the season kenny moore and quitty
pay were both ruled out today so you add them to deforest buckner and samson abucom and juju brentz
who are all out for the year or for extended periods of time uh two key backups are questionable
chris lamont and taekwon lewis uh so that edge depth that we were all really excited about coming
into the year is in really dire straits right now uh now you go to the other side of the ball the pittsburgh
steelers are ailing a little bit on offense not a ton but uh backup quarterback russell wilson is
questionable uh isaac suamalo uh they're starting i believe his right guard is where he starts might
be left i think it's right left guard okay left guard isaac suamalo he is doubtful so he's
unlikely to play and then jaylen warren their explosive running back is out as long as well
as michael pruitt as well one of their tight ends uh so not a ton of big injuries there on offense
for the steelers obviously suamalo being out is important and same with warren and i believe also
their first round pick um troy fountain fountain foulow, was put on IR last week as well.
So a couple guys are out for them.
But this Colts defense right now, I mean, they're really close to starting me on their defense, Jake.
They're getting really close to putting me out there at corner.
Just to put in perspective what this Colts defense is going to look like, their edge rotation, if Tyquan Lewis is out, is likely to be
Dayo Dengbo starting and Liatulatu starting, which is good. That's a good starting group right there.
Main backup is going to be Isaiah Land, then Jernard Avery, and then maybe they call up Derek
Rivers off the practice squad. So that's their edge rotation. And then if you want to even make
it sound more dire, their cornerback room, especially if Lamont's misses this game, is going to be what Womack and Flowers rotating at one corner spot.
Jalen Jones starting at the other.
I have no clue who's starting in a slot in this situation if Lamont's misses this game.
I'm assuming Lamont's is going, but maybe Womack moves to the slot.
And then you call up what?
Long off the practice squad?
Long junior off the practice squad long junior off the yeah or you could put in
you could put in uh julian there at at the nickel and then you have rodney thomas and nick cross at
safety i don't know yeah it's it's a really banged up defense lamont's did get back to practice today
for what it's worth but yeah the one thing i will, and then I'll let you have the floor here,
Jake.
But one thing I will say is again with the Steelers,
I look,
I could be wrong.
Obviously Sunday could prove me wrong here,
but when it comes to the Steelers offense,
I don't think it really cares who it really matters who you put out there on defense because they're going to play their style of football anyway.
Yeah.
They're going to run the ball a lot.
They're going to get down there.
They're going to kick field goals and you could be starting a high school team out there and they're gonna score you know
18 points on six field goals arthur smith we're talking about yeah and it's not a bad thing like
it wins them games but i'm just saying like if you're gonna go into a game so hampered at least
you're not going against this high flying offense that's going to throw the ball all over you
you're going against a team that's going to run the ball and they want to run the ball
but they're gonna you know it's it's not team that's going to run the ball and they want to run the ball, but they're going to, you know, it's, it's not one that's going to put up fireworks regardless.
No. But being down to the guys that they're down to on defense right now,
man, they are, they are ailing on defense. Like it is, it is really brutal looking at this Colts
defense right now. No, it is. And luckily it's a fairly predictable offense. Again, power run,
get some play action opportunities. That's what we saw from Arthur Smith in Tennessee. That's
what they're doing here in Pittsburgh. Yeah. I mean, if the Colts weren't so banged up,
I would be a little more confident, but although I do like some of the guys that are going to be
out there replacing some of these injured guys,
if they get hurt,
then it's like,
what are we doing?
Like,
let me super,
super banged up in this one.
So yeah,
Kenny,
I,
I,
like,
I guess if,
if these guys are gonna miss any game,
this is the one you're not facing,
like an exotic complex pass game.
You're not facing a team. That's going to pass it 50 times. And you're not facing like an exotic complex pass game you're not facing a team that's going to pass it 50 times
and you're not facing like cj stroud like yeah you're you're luckily getting a pretty opportunistic
or a good opportunity here but i still like i i think they'll be able to to defend the run
relatively well i don't think this is gonna to be like some huge, you know,
nosebleed like it was the first week and a half because Fatanu,
Sumalo being doubtful, Jalen Warren being out,
like these things affect their run game.
It's Najee Harris and Justin Fields versus, and Cordero Patterson,
you could throw them in there as well,
because they've been using everybody to run the ball um I just think it's it's gonna be an ugly game I don't think
any team has one massive advantage on the other I mean you obviously circle TJ Watt that's a massive
advantage anywhere but this is a good Colts pass pass. They're aware TJ Watt is alive and exists.
Tight end help is an option.
So I just, I don't know.
It's going to be a real ugly one.
I'm not looking forward to the amount of fireworks in this one
because I don't know that there will be.
This could be one where Jonathan Taylor and Najee Harris
both carry it 25 plus times.
It's probably going to be a game that ends quickly.
The clock's going to be running all the time.
But if either side can force Anthony Richardson or Justin Fields to pass it a little too much
and force some boneheaded or even just bad throws you know force them into some errors
that will be the x factor it could even be like special teams is the x factor like
if there's a block punt or something um but yeah i'm not incredibly i'm not incredibly inspired by
either offense or defense in this one it's probably just going to be ugly and low scoring
yeah the one thing i will say about the colts defense as long as the two linebackers show up to play like they did last week i think the run defense will be relatively
fine like it'll probably still look they'll still allow like 150 yards rushing i'm sure in this game
just because the stealer's gonna call like 45 runs like it's very likely that it's gonna be
a good chunk of rushing but um the key will really be coming down to can the colts get off the field
on third down like that is really the the biggest thing can the Colts get off the field on third down?
That is really the biggest thing for this Colts defense.
They couldn't do it against Green Bay.
They couldn't do it against the Texans in week one.
But they were really good with it last week against the Bears until late in the fourth quarter when it didn't matter as much.
And also when it comes to pass rushing, I love the Laatu-Laatu matchup versus Dan Moore.
I think that's a really prime matchup for the Colts to exploit so they do have some areas that they can win
it's just can they get off the field on third down can they avoid the big shot to George Pickens
because Pickens always gets like one or two downfield shots and I don't know who on the
Colts defense can turn and run with him and and compete with him at the catch point I guess Nick
Cross can he showed it last year but we'll see if he can do that again uh this year but yeah it really comes down to getting off
the field on third down and then force one or two timely turnovers and you know you can have a
chance to win this one and and really stuff a Steelers offense that again it hasn't been a great
offense but they've been good at getting points like just getting down the field and getting
points and that's all you need when you have a defense like they have.
So it's a really well-coached team.
You're probably going to be at the disadvantage when it comes to coaching
because Tomlin's a great coach.
And they're going to go down there and do their thing.
So it's about just limiting what they can do
and forcing a couple mistakes to go your way.
Yeah, I'm also really looking forward to Julian Blackman and Nick Cross,
like you said, flying to the ball.
I think them being the last line of defense and preventing runs from getting into that third
level, like if there's a broken tackle on the outside and then, you know, that's the difference
between turning the corner and getting upfield. Blackman and Cross, who both have been playing
really good football this year, both quality tacklers, them flying to the ball, I think,
will be a big factor in this
one. But coming up, guys, what do we think is going to happen? What are going to be the keys
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All right, Zach. So some things I think should be the difference in this one to really get the Colts running. Obviously, if you can get Taylor and
Anthony Richardson on the ground going, I think that would be great. But obviously, Pittsburgh
knows that's what the strength of the team is. I think this would be one for me where I almost try and force feed the ball to Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr.
to keep the sticks moving.
If they both had at least six catches, I think that would be great.
You use that as like an extension of your run game if the run game is not working.
Some screens, you know, one of our beautiful viewers earlier in the show, I highlighted their
comment, but right here. So they can take advantage of the over-aggressiveness pass rush schemes and
draws. I mentioned that earlier in the week. I would love the idea of getting some screens out
there with a couple lead blockers, you know, with the pressure coming down in your face,
the draw, I don't know, the draws may not work so much. But I do love the idea of taking advantage of a successful
Pittsburgh pass rush. We saw it for years here in Indy with Freeney and Mathis getting upfield
very quickly, which, you know, completely opened up those edges. You know know if the Colts can do that I think that would be great um but yeah defensively just find some way to make Justin Fields uncomfortable keep him moving
don't let him you know don't let him operate calmly because it's working for him so far this
year yeah I think ultimately for the Colts on offense can be running the football obviously
it's gonna be a big part of it the Steel Steelers know that, though, so they're going to be coming out trying to stop it.
When it comes to the passing game, getting a heavy chip on DJ Watt, hopefully the Colts'
interior offensive line can hold up, even if Ryan Kelly doesn't play. I'm terrified of Danny
Pinter in this matchup starting, but we'll see, I guess, with him against that really strong
interior defensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And then, yeah, just a better game from Richardson. Like at the end of the day,
you can draw up all these great plays and all these things, but Richardson has to be better.
Like if he comes out playing like he did last week, the Colts are going to get,
you know, they're going to get beat 30 something to 10, you know, if that, you know, like you
really cannot play the way that you did last week against a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When it comes to the defense, being strong against the run like they were last week like coming downhill being aggressive being physical slowing that run game up early and then
when it gets to third downs you got to get off the field like I know this is simple stuff here
this is stuff that any coach would say to to their players but like got to win your matchups of
Liotu Liotu versus Dan Moore like he's got to have a big game in that matchup, contain Justin Fields in the pocket and survive
the one George Pickens giant catch.
He's going to have at least one survive that one.
Calvin Austin also had one last week as well.
You really got to survive.
But at the end of the day, this just, again, it is a tough matchup with this Pittsburgh
Steelers team, especially where this Colts team is at right now.
Like if this is where I think this Colts team is going to be in the second half of this season,
with the offense clicking a little bit more,
Richardson figuring out his lumps in his game a little bit more,
and the defense probably finding more of an identity,
then I'd feel more comfortable.
But because this is so early in the season,
the Steelers team is unabashedly itself. Like they know who they are.
They have been the same Steelers team for years now. Like I'll be it with different parts and,
and with an interesting new dynamic at quarterback, they have been this Mike Tomlin Steelers team for
years. Like they are a feisty, competitive, physical team whose defense beats the crap out
of you. Like they have been this for years and they know their
identity the colts i just don't think they really have what they are in terms of for the 2024 season
right now like their offense is so just disjointed in terms of richardson's play and and what their
identity is their defense is just so banged up again like they're one injury away from me starting
at corner out there and Jake starting at defensive end.
So it's a little concerning right now when it comes to this defense.
I think I'm more of a tackle.
Yeah, that's true.
I'm an interior guy.
You and Tave and Brian fighting it out for snaps there on the interior.
But yeah, it's just it's a tough time to get a team like the Steelers.
It really like a coach that's this tenured in this experience and Mike Tomlin.
It's a tough time to get them.
Like if you can get them in the second half of the year when, you know,
his magic is running out in terms of making this thing work with who they
have in certain places, then I think like did it last year.
Like I think then you have a chance, but early in the year like this,
this is where they rack up a lot of their wins.
So I'm not feeling super confident for the Colts in this.
I have a 16 to nine Steelers. Againers again it's gonna be an ugly one like six i have at 16 to 9 and what that's one touchdown
and three field goals for the steelers and three field goals for the colts that might be on 25
attempts by the way for the colts to get three field goals i don't know what kind of matt gay
we're getting uh in this game but yeah i think it's gonna be an ugly one so i'm going 16 to 9 steelers in this one just remember though guys i think it's going to be an ugly one. So I'm going 16 to nine
Steelers in this one. Just remember though, guys, I did pick against the Colts last week
and the Colts one. So maybe, maybe I'm the jinx or whatever here, but it's just, I, it's a tough
one for me. It's a tough one in terms of the time that we're seeing these two teams face off. I just,
I don't think it favors the Colts, especially with Richardson going through this
really low point in his NFL career right now. I'm going to stick to something similar as last week as well
even the same score I picked last week 20 to 16 Colts this one I just feel like again it's low
scoring not quite as low scoring as you had it but I think the Colts will be able to get in the end zone a couple times.
You know, if Anthony doesn't have those completely ugly games all the time,
like even he can have an ugly game but still have some huge play,
and I'm going to bank on either some Alec Pierce play that's just no one can defend or a blown coverage or something that results in some big passing play for the Colts because they're very reliant on it.
I would like to think the run game is going to get going, but I just don't know.
At some point, you got to get Pittman more involved.
I mean, that's a guy who has been literally the lifeline of the passing game since 2021.
So I think Pittman gets going in this one.
It may be for eight yards of catch.
I don't care.
But I think the Colts are going to use Pittman and Downs,
you know, a lot of short stuff.
Help them move you down the field.
You get lucky with a big play at some point.
20 to 16 Colts.
I think, again, that's not an offense that scores points, really. I think
Latu is probably going to get to fields once or twice. If he can force him to fumble,
that would be pretty cool. But no, I mean, Pittsburgh's O-line is banged up. It's just
so hard to project this one because everybody's hurt, and there's so many important players that
are banged up. But I'm going to give this one to the Colts.
Again, you picked against them last week.
I picked for them literally the same score
and it worked out okay for them.
20-16 Colts.
Let's hope it turns out like last week, obviously,
for our Colts, but that's our preview of
Colts Steelers for the week. I want to thank you guys
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