How Steelers could force Colts to play left-handed on MNF
Any time the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts share a gridiron, old-school football is always on our minds. Manning-Roethlisberger, The Tommy Maddox Game, The Tackle, and the 1995-1996 AFC Championship Game all come to mind. Well, the stakes might not be as high for this one but these two teams still scream smash-mouth, hard-hitting […]
Any time the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts share a gridiron, old-school football is always on our minds. Manning-Roethlisberger, The Tommy Maddox Game, The Tackle, and the 1995-1996 AFC Championship Game all come to mind.
Well, the stakes might not be as high for this one but these two teams still scream smash-mouth, hard-hitting football even in 2022.
On one side, Mike Tomlin's squad is trying to win by running the football and playing defensive football. The Steeler way. On the other? A former All-Pro offensive center that played in one of the best offensive lines in NFL history and won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts is the interim head coach.
Note: Heck. Cam Heyward and Jeff Saturday once went against each other on the field!
When both squads square off against each other on Monday night, they'll be betting on defense to win it. After all, the Steelers and the Colts rank in the Top 15 in defensive DVOA per Football Outsiders.
Pittsburgh has been getting better since T.J. Watt's return and although they allowed 37 points against the high-scoring Bengals, they should have a favorable match-up against the Matt Ryan-led Colts.
After all, the Steelers' biggest strength comes against the run which is exactly what the Colts want to do with Jonathan Taylor. Since Saturday's arrival, they've had the sixth-lowest pass rate in neutral situations, per RBSDM.com.
Despite having Quenton Nelson in their ranks, the Colts' offensive line has mightily struggled. That doesn't bode well when going up against Watt, Alex Highsmith, Larry Ogunjobi, and Cam Heyward.
As long as the Steelers allow the Colts to run the football, this will be a tough game to win. But forcing Matt Ryan to win it in the passing game will heavily benefit the Steelers. The Colts' passing offense ranks 31st in the NFL. They lack weapons at wide receiver and tight end to really force Pittsburgh out of heavy boxes as everything they do is underneath.
Ryan's average depth of target is 39th in the NFL (dead last) among qualifying quarterbacks, the same as his big-time throw percentage per PFF.
For the Steelers, winning the game will be all about taking the ball out of Taylor's hands and putting it in Ryan's.
Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-USA TODAY Sports
