The Pittsburgh Steelers put on an absolute show Sunday night. The Indianapolis Colts had field-level passes.
The Steelers manhandled the Colts, 45-10, and sent a message to the rest of the AFC in the process with the playoffs rapidly approaching. All the stars came out Sunday, as Ben Roethlisberger finished with 364 passing yards and four touchdowns, Antonio Brown posted 118 receiving yards and three total touchdowns, Martavis Bryant tallied 114 yards and a score and DeAngelo Williams added 165 total yards.
Kevin Bowen of Colts.com put things in perspective following the spectacle:
Kevin Bowen @KBowen1070This is a Steelers team no one in the AFC wants to see in January. Could be a dangerous Wild Card team.
In all, the Steelers finished with 522 total yards compared to Indianapolis' 240. Brown by himself was too much for the entire Colts team, and the star receiver broke the game open with multiple touchdowns in the second half. ESPN Stats & Info added a historical component to his performance:
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoAntonio Brown has 2 Rec TD and a punt return TD, 7th player since the merger to do that in a game & 2nd this season (T. Benjamin, Wk 2)
Even injured running back Le'Veon Bell weighed in:
Le'Veon Bell @LeVeonBellhey guys, my name is Antonio Brown and I am unguardable... signed, Tony Toe Tap
The Steelers offense ran all over the Colts defense, but the Indianapolis offense didn't fare much better. Despite the embarrassing game, Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star offered some reason for optimism with four games remaining in the regular season:
Zak Keefer @zkeeferThis one doesn't hurt #Colts all that much. 6-6, tied for 1st in AFC South. Jax/Houston coming up and Colts have won 16 straight in division
Even with the lopsided final score, the Colts jumped out to an early 10-6 lead after Frank Gore caught a second-quarter pass from Matt Hasselbeck for a nine-yard touchdown. However, the Steelers came roaring back on their next two possessions, as Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com broke down:
Mike Chappell @mchappell51After #colts take 10-6 lead, Steelers go 10 plays, 80 yds; 8 plays 60 yds. Roethlisberger 11-of-15, 146 yds, 2 TDs on last 2 drives.
The comeback started with Roethlisberger's first touchdown pass to Brown, as the NFL shared:
NFL @NFLAntonio Brown was matched up against Vontae Davis. Big Ben didn't care. Brown didn't either. Touchdown. #INDvsPIT
In all, Roethlisberger threw for 219 yards and two scores in the first half alone, which would have been a productive day for many quarterbacks. Big Ben made some history in those first 30 minutes and staked his team to a 21-10 halftime lead, per NFL on ESPN:
NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFLBig Ben over 200 yards in the 1st half for the 4th straight game. The last guy to do that was Dan Fouts in 1981.
The second half looked even worse for the Colts after they punted in less than a minute and Pittsburgh parlayed the next possession into yet another touchdown. Bryant caught a perfectly placed ball from Roethlisberger and ran the rest of the way for a 68-yard score. The NFL passed along the game-breaking highlight:
NFL @NFLEvery week Martavis Bryant makes some incredible play that leaves you shaking your head This is that play #INDvsPIT
Keefer admired Roethlisberger's throw:
Zak Keefer @zkeeferRoethlisberger threw Bryant open on that play. What a beautiful throw. Also, the rout is officially on.
Phillip B. Wilson of Scout.com was willing to take one for the team:
Phillip B Wilson @pwilson24Good night, #Colts fans. I'll watch the rest of this for you and provide details on how bad it became. Part of the job.
While the Steelers deserved plenty of credit for the score, Conrad Brunner of 1070TheFan.com pointed to cornerback Greg Toler as a serious problem for the Colts:
Things continued to go downhill for Indianapolis when Hasselbeck took a hit and was slow to get up on the next possession. Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star did not paint a pretty picture for Colts fans:
Gregg Doyel @GreggDoyelStarThe Charlie Whitehurst Era is upon us. Now could be time to crack open a beer. Or buy a case.
Hasselbeck remained in the game, but it was still an apt description of Indianapolis' effort.
The Steelers proceeded to run out most of the third-quarter clock behind a strong rushing attack featuring Williams. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com commented on the back who has carried the load after Bell's injury:
Ian Rapoport @RapSheetI gotta think DeAngelo Williams was the best free agent signing of this offseason, dollar for dollar. #Steelers
Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter piled on the Colts defense:
Dale Lolley @dlolley_pghIf this was a prize fight it would have been stopped at this point. #Steelers can name their score against the Colts
Despite Pittsburgh's overall dominance, the Colts had the opportunity to get back in the game when they reached the red zone, trailing 28-10. However, Indianapolis elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal and failed. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette weighed in on the decision:
Ray Fittipaldo @rayfitt1Colts needed a field goal at some point to tie the score. Not sure why they went for it. Maybe they didn't think they could stop Ben again.
As was the case all game, the Steelers quickly made the Colts pay for their mistake when Roethlisberger hit Brown for a deep pass in double coverage. Colleen Wolfe of NFL.com perfectly summarized the play:
Colleen Wolfe @ColleenWolfeNFLAntonio Brown is impossible to cover
Naturally, the two connected again later in the drive for a touchdown to open up an overwhelming 35-10 lead. The Steelers picked the Colts apart, and Keefer acknowledged one unexpected problem on the outside:
Zak Keefer @zkeeferVontae Davis, after not allowing a touchdown in coverage all of last season, has allowed seven so far this season.
Matt Spiegel of 670TheScore.com made an amusing comparison early in the fourth quarter:
M@ @MattSpiegel670The Steelers passing game is video game good right now. Like the Warren Moon Oilers in Tecmo Super Bowl. Antonio Brown is Drew Hill.
The Colts missed a chance to cut into the lead on their next drive when Hasselbeck fumbled on a James Harrison strip-sack. Lolley noted it was more of the same for Indianapolis in scoring position:
Dale Lolley @dlolley_pghThat's four possessions tonight for the Colts that started inside #Steelers territory. Added up to 10 points
As if there was any doubt about the outcome, Pittsburgh tacked on a field goal with less than seven minutes remaining to give it a 38-10 advantage. It was a complete annihilation, and all the Colts could hope to do was run out the clock, especially since they put Charlie Whitehurst in for the rest of the contest with Hasselbeck still banged up.
Indianapolis couldn't even do that.
Brown returned the Colts' ensuing punt 71 yards for the score to put the Steelers ahead, 45-10. It added insult to injury for the hapless visitors, and Bleacher Report reacted to another incredible play from the Steelers pass-catcher:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportAntonio Brown isn’t human.
Brown added a rather amusing and painful celebration after the score, per the NFL:
It was a fitting end to the Steelers' best performance of the season. Pittsburgh made one last defensive stop and knelt for the 45-10 victory.
What's Next?
The 7-5 Steelers are still part of the crowded bunch of AFC wild-card contenders after Sunday's victory. What's more, Pittsburgh has a difficult stretch awaiting against arguably the two most talented teams in the conference in the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. If it can manage to even split those two games, it finishes with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, who are a combined 6-18.
As for the 6-6 Colts, they are also part of that wild-card picture, but they have AFC South division crown aspirations in mind heading into the final quarter. The Houston Texans, one of their remaining opponents and division foe, are also 6-6. The Colts will also face the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans to finish the year.
The head-to-head with Houston will clearly go a long way toward determining the division, but the other three opponents are a combined 12-24 on the season. Indianapolis couldn't realistically ask for a much easier path to the postseason.
Postgame Reaction
Anyone who watched Sunday’s game saw the clear talent disparity between the two teams, and Colts coach Chuck Pagano was succinct in saying the Steelers “just kicked our ass, period,” per Doyel.
Pagano added some specifics to his analysis, per Chappell: “Couldn't get anything going offensively, big plays on defense. We got beat thoroughly in all three phases. It stinks, it stings.”
Hasselbeck took some of the blame for the loss, per Chappell: “They gave us opportunities. I had the interception. Terrible. Didn't capitalize. Didn't handle their blitz early.”
Hasselbeck also said that he hurt his neck on two different plays and isn’t sure if he will be ready for the next contest, per Keefer. That would be a significant blow for the Colts, especially since franchise QB Andrew Luck is still out with injury.
As for Pittsburgh, safety Mike Mitchell recognized how important the victory was, per the Steelers: “This was one of our most complete team performances. This was a must-win for us.”
It was a must-win to stay in playoff contention, but much of the attention after the game focused on Brown’s celebration following his punt return instead of the victory. For his part, Brown said he “just wanted to stick the landing,” per the Steelers.
Even if Brown didn’t stick the landing on his jump, the Steelers certainly did during the game. Roethlisberger discussed the win, per the Steelers: “Guys are growing. We're all getting better together.”
That is a scary thought for the rest of the AFC.
