Colts at Steelers: 3 Things to Keep an Eye On

By: CJ Lester, @CJLester58

SteelerNation.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 11-3 last week as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Steelers 27-17. The Steelers have fallen to the 3 seed in the AFC Playoff picture behind the Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) and the Buffalo Bills (11-3). The Bills own the head-to-head tie breaker over the Steelers due to the Week 14 loss the team handed the Steelers. The Steelers’ offensive struggles continued against the Bengals as the Steelers gained 244 total yards and had 3 turnovers. Even though the Steelers’ offense out-gained the Bengals’ offense on Monday night, the turnovers were the significant difference of the game. In the NFL, if a team loses the turnover battle 3-0, it is very hard to win a game. QB Ben Roethlisberger finished the game completing 20 of 38 passes for 170 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. This was easily one of Roethlisberger’s worst performances of his long career. Not because of the stat line, but because of the throws that he continuously missed all night. RB Benny Snell received the bulk of the carries on the night due to RB James Conner being ruled out before the game due to injury. Snell ran for 84 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Steelers are running out of time to fix the offensive issues and the injuries on defense are taking a toll. The Bengals’ offense ran through the Steelers’ undermanned defense for 152 yards on the ground. Bengals’ 3^rd string QB Ryan Finley managed the game well and took what the defense gave him. A lot of times, Finley was left unaccounted for on read option plays. Finley completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards and 1 touchdown, but the bigger story of the game was his rushing performance. Finley had 10 carries on the night for 47 yards and a touchdown. With a very poor performance against the Bengals on both sides of the ball due to the offense not really helping the defense out any, the Steelers need a bounce back win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 to secure the AFC North division title. Before we take a deeper look into this week’s matchup against the Colts, let’s review last week’s Monday Night matchup against the Bengals.

Last week in review

The three things I noted that we should keep an eye on last week were:

       1. Bounce Back Game for Diontae Johnson

A week after being benched in the first half in Week 14 against the Bills. WR Diontae Johnson finished the second half without a drop. Last week, I predicted Johnson would have a bounce back performance in which he would not have a drop. The receiver did just that, Johnson finished the game leading the Steelers’ offense in receiving with 8 receptions for 59 yards and 1 touchdown. Johnson played really well and finished the game without a dropped pass. Roethlisberger missed Johnson on 5 more targets, but none of those passes were ruled drops by the receiver. They were uncatchable passes thrown by Roethlisberger. On a night when it seemed the Steelers’ just couldn’t get much going on offense at all, it was surely promising to see Johnson finish the game without a dropped pass.

        2. Force Turnovers

I expected the Steelers defense to force 3^rd string Bengals’ QB Finley into making bad decisions and force turnovers from the Bengals’ offense. The Steelers’ defense was unable to force a turnover all game and lost the turnover battle 3-0. Roethlisberger threw an interception on a play where it seemed he just didn’t see the defender at all. WR Juju Smith-Schuster fumbled after getting throttled near midfield and the Steelers’ offense lost another fumble when Roethlisberger just couldn’t handle an under-center snap. It makes it very difficult to win in the NFL when you give the ball away like the Steelers did on Monday night.

        3. Increase in Scoring Points for the Offense

Another laughable take on what I expected for last week’s matchup by yours truly. I predicted that the Steelers’ offense would score 20+ points, which would have been the first time they have done so since Week 11. This was obviously not the case as the Steelers’ offense was held to just 17 points after being shut out in the first half. The Steelers’ were able to climb back a little after being down 17-0 at halftime, but it just wasn’t enough as the Steelers fell for their 3^rd straight loss.

Let’s take a look at 3 things we should watch for in Week 16 against the Colts:

1. Bounce Back Performance for Roethlisberger

This past week against the Bengals was one of the worst performances by Roethlisberger in his long career in Pittsburgh. Can he bounce back? I sure hope so! This offense goes as Roethlisberger goes and it’s just as simple as that. With the Colts passing defense being ranked 17^th in the NFL, Roethlisberger has to pay well to get this offense going. The QB feels he has a lot left in the tank, but after last week’s performance a lot of Roethlisberger’s critics are having their “I told you so” moment. Roethlisberger has said it himself; he has to play better. If this team is going to have any chance in the playoffs and avoid being a one-and-done team, Roethlisberger has to perform better and protect the ball. Over the first 10 weeks of the season, the future Hall of Fame QB threw just 5 interceptions. Over the last four games, Roethlisberger has matched those interceptions, throwing 5 more. It’s time to turn this thing back around and it has to be at the hands of Big Ben!

2. Vince is Back!

LB Vince Williams will make his return on Sunday against the Colts. Williams hasn’t played since Week 13 due to being placed on the COVID/Reserve list. Williams is 3^rd on the team in tackles with 63 total tackles and is 2^nd on the team in tackles for loss with 14.5. Not only is Williams a tackling machine and a great guy to have back to impact the run defense, but he is a leader of this defense. Williams is a great communicator and a player who has been around for a long time.  His leadership will be a big boost for an undermanned defense, especially against a Colts’ offense that is averaging 114 yards per game on the ground. Look for Williams to make a big impact in his first game back.

3. 3^rd down efficiency

Over the past 3 weeks, the Steelers are a combine 11-41 on 3^rd downs, the Steelers have to convert more 3^rd downs to sustain longer drives. The Steelers’ defense is still putting up elite numbers against opponents, but the offense has to help them out by sustaining longer drives in order to allow the defense a chance to rest. The Colts’ offense has found great balance in the previous weeks and are on a hot streak winning 3 games in a row. If the Steelers are going to have a chance tomorrow afternoon; they have to perform better on 3^rd down than they have over the 3-game skid.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? What should we watch for in Week 16 against the Colts? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!