Colts strengthen playoff position with win over reeling Steelers

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts rebounded from one of their most concerning performances of the season in last Sunday’s loss to the Bengals, putting together a complete performance in a 30-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers that keeps them in the thick of the AFC playoff race.

The Colts’ playoff hopes would have taken a major hit with a different result. The Colts entered the game with a 38% chance of making the postseason, and their odds would have dropped to 19% with a loss. But Saturday’s victory boosted their playoff odds to 63%, with a road matchup against the Falcons looming on Dec. 24.

Most encouraging for the Colts was the performance of quarterback Gardner Minshew, who had been on an inconsistent run as of late. He turned in one of his finest performances of the season with three touchdown passes on 18 of 28 passing for 215 yards. But injury concerns loom for Indianapolis, with No. 1 receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion) and running back Zack Moss (arm) leaving the game with injuries.

A look at the other top storylines for both teams:

Indianapolis Colts

Silver lining: The loss of Moss to an injury in the first half was a big blow considering that starting running back Jonathan Taylor is already out with a thumb injury. But the Colts got a surprising pair of performances from their third- and fourth-string runners, with Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson combining for 155 rushing yards. The duo was dominant in some stretches of the game.

Troubling trend: Something’s going on with Colts kicker Matt Gay. He’s now missed four kicks in two weeks, including an extra point against the Bengals. On Saturday, he missed from 56 yards and 43 yards. The 43-yarder was just his second miss inside 50 yards this season.

Bold prediction for next week: The Colts accumulated four sacks on Saturday, but look for them to increase that number with at least six next week in Atlanta. The Falcons have yielded 36 sacks this season, including seven in a Week 3 loss to the Lions. — Stephen Holder

Next game: at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 24)

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin’s message to the Steelers entering Saturday’s must-win game against the Indianapolis Colts was clear: the winner of this one is in a much better position to make the playoffs than the loser. After a dismal loss — their third in a row — the Steelers are mathematically still in playoff contention. In reality, this is a team in turmoil. The Steelers aren’t playing like a team that will make the playoffs. They’re not even playing like a team capable of winning another game this season.

Coming off back-to-back losses to two of the league’s worst teams, the Steelers said their biggest problem was getting off to a fast start on offense. They did that Saturday by building a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter. And then, nothing, as the Colts rattled off 30 unanswered points. In a game where the Colts were already playing without their starting quarterback and starting running back — and lost their other top two offensive weapons in the first half — the Steelers were outplayed and outworked. And soon enough, they’re going to be out of the playoffs, too.

QB breakdown: Mitch Trubisky came out relatively hot with a rushing touchdown and a touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson. Then, the wheels came off in a hurry. He threw a first-half interception when Colts safety Nick Cross wrestled a jump ball away from George Pickens, and in the fourth quarter, Trubisky followed up a 15-yard pass to Diontae Johnson on fourth down with another interception. After that, he was replaced by Mason Rudolph. Trubisky finished 16-of-23 for 169 yards with one rushing touchdown, one touchdown pass and two interceptions. And with Kenny Pickett likely sidelined another week as he recovers from TightRope surgery, the Steelers may be staring down a Week 16 quarterback controversy between Trubisky and Rudolph.

Troubling trend: Defensive injuries. Look, every team has injuries. The Steelers are reluctant to use this as an excuse, but the mounting defensive injuries are taking a toll. A play after Damontae Kazee was ejected for a hard hit in the second quarter, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick went down with a knee injury and didn’t return. That left the Steelers with just two safeties on the game-day roster: former practice squad member Trenton Thompson and special teams ace Miles Killebrew.

Then, in the third quarter, Thompson hobbled off the field after tackling running back Tyler Goodson. Keanu Neal, another safety, is still on IR, and Tomlin didn’t have an update on his status when asked last week. The Steelers are already thin in the middle of the field with season-ending injuries to ILBs Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb. For a team that has to rely on its defense to pick up the mantle for its low-scoring offense, the defensive injuries verged on catastrophic Saturday.

Pivotal play: Najee Harris‘ fumble. On the first play of the Steelers’ first third-quarter possession, linebacker E.J. Speed knocked the ball loose from Harris. Harris was initially ruled down, but the play was reversed upon review. It was Harris’ second lost fumble of his career, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. The Steelers defense had just forced a three-and-out — only their second of the day — and yet, it didn’t matter. The Colts got the ball on the Steelers’ 18-yard line and scored a play later on a touchdown from Gardner Minshew to Mo Alie-Cox. — Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. Bengals (4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Dec. 23)

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