The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot going for them.
Coming off a bye week, a rather healthy team, the dominant team in the AFC North, tied for the top team in the AFC and a sporty 6-2 record to boot. On top of all that, the Steelers are a team many are predicting to do big things down the stretch and into the postseason.
For the skeptics out there, this seems to be a recipe for a letdown. Lord knows we have all seen this song-and-dance before under Mike Tomlin’s tenure with the Steelers, but despite the Colts’ 3-6 record, they should not be overlooked.
Even without Andrew Luck, the Colts’ offense is anchored by a young quarterback in Jacoby Brissett, with playmakers like Frank Gore, T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief doing their jobs on the offensive side of the football. Throw in a defense who is capable of taking away the football and getting after the quarterback, and the Steelers’ full attention should be on the Colts.
If not, an upset could be in the making, and would be absolutely devastating to the Steelers’ chances at keeping pace with the Patriots in the race to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
At Stampede Blue, SB Nation’s Colts website, they feel the Colts could easily be a 5-4, or 6-3 team, had a few things gone their way, including idiotic coaching decisions:
When the Indianapolis Colts’ players are utilized correctly, this team is better than their record indicates. Even without Andrew Luck and with a slew of other injuries that have devastated the roster, this team should be 6-3. It’s not because they’re a really good team. It’s partially because they have the easiest schedule in the NFL and because every team they’ve faced has either been without one of their best players or playing with broken versions of their best players.
The Steelers should win this game, but start worrying too much about the Titans on Thursday Night Football, instead of focusing on the Colts, in their house, and Pittsburgh could be in for a smack in the mouth. This is the NFL, by the way, where parity is king.