Steelers' Week 4 Opponent Zaire Franklin Threatens Sanctity Of Famous Terrible Towel

The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 4. Sitting at 3-0, Mike Tomlin's team will look to travel and win in an opponents' house for the third time already in the 2024 season. As is the case during most away games for the franchise, there is expected to be a heavy presence of black and gold jerseys at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday. It would be shocking if thousands of Terrible Towels aren't twirling in the dome out in Indianapolis. One of sports' most recognizable fan items should be on full display throughout the game.

Whether the Steelers are playing at home or on the road, it always appears as if the team has an advantage. In Week 1, the Atlanta Falcons had to go to a silent count due to the amount of noise coming from the Steel City faithful. It's absolutely possible this happens once more against the Colts, but some players from Indianapolis, one in particular, might have different plans.

Speaking to WTHR, an NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin spoke about the upcoming matchup. His quarterback, Anthony Richardson, already put the Steelers on notice, and now Franklin is walking a fine line when discussing the legendary Terrible Towel.

"Hopefully we get to steal a couple Terrible Towels. I might try to snatch one myself. We'll see," Franklin said.

This isn't the first time a player from a different team has contemplated messing with Pittsburgh's most prized possession. In 2023, the Jacksonville Jaguars started off scorching hot and after beating the Steelers, improved to 6-2. 

Some superstitious people out there believe that a late-season collapse, which saw the Jaguars finish at 9-8 and without a playoff berth, was due to the actions of Andrew Wingard during the Week 8 matchup. He stole a Terrible Towel from a fan after a big play in the game, and it hasn't gone well for the franchise since.

Believe what you will about curses and things of that nature, but the Terrible Towel is considered a sanctity in the Steel City. Messing with it hasn't gone well for players in the past, so Franklin's comments are bound to fire up Steelers fans.

The Week 4 matchup between the two teams has a couple of different storylines. The Colts are trying to avoid slipping to the basement of the AFC, while Pittsburgh has plans to remain undefeated and hold its position as the conference's number one seed. The biggest reason for the Steelers' dominance has been the defense, and the Terrible Towels will be waving for TJ Watt and co. throughout the contest.

Franklin can mess around with the curse of the Terrible Towel all he wants, but he will certainly now be under a little more pressure to perform well, at least as far as fans in Pittsburgh are probably thinking. The Black and Gold faithful will agree with opposing fan bases occasionally on the state of the Steelers' franchise, but one thing is for sure, and that's the fact that anyone outside the city should not be insulting Myron Cope's legendary twirl of terror.

Steelers' Away Games Don't Feel Too Far From Home

Pittsburgh is used to having an incredible fan base, especially when it comes to games on the road. Indianapolis on Sunday will be just another example of how well the group travels. If all goes well, the organization will head back home for a massive Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. Fans can expect Acrisure Stadium to be rocking with the Terrible Towels waving aggressively throughout the evening.

Do you take offense to Franklin's comments about the Terrible Towel? Let us know in the comments below!

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