Colts Will Run Wild On Steelers

Steelers vs. Colts, 4:30 ET

I was looking at the records of the two teams in this game and they both sit at 7-6 for the season. When I looked at it, I got a feeling that there are a lot of teams with this exact record, so I checked. There are currently seven teams in the NFL with a 7-6 record. There are another six teams with a 6-7 record. Parity is what you really shoot for as a league and this is what is happening in the NFL this season. I suppose both can leave this game with identical records if we get a tie, but I think there will be a clear winner in this one between the Steelers and Colts.

The Steelers have a lot to figure out for a team that is a game over .500 and still in the playoff picture. The defense has been decent enough this season and I refuse to fully place blame on them for the two most recent losses. The Steelers win despite their offense. The defense keeps them in games and even gives them a chance to win most of their contests. Lately, though the offense has been so inept that the defense can't even save them. Sure, they allowed 21 points to a team that had scored just 13 points over their previous 12 quarters, which is a bad look. I'm not sure you can fully blame the offense for the game either considering they had 18 points, an equal number of turnovers, and only forty fewer yards. They even won the time of possession battle. So who is to blame for their lack of success lately? You could maybe the coach, the offense, and the defense. The Steelers just aren't fully clicking right now. I think Mitch Trubisky should be able to get some yards against a Colts team that has allowed 357.6 per game to opponents. But, the way to attack the Colts is on the ground. I suppose they can put extra guys on the line in hopes of stopping the Steelers rushing attack.

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 12: Najee Harris #22 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

People talk about the Packers and how they went from one Hall-of-Fame quarterback to another. The Colts were lined up well, going from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck, but Luck abruptly retired and the Colts were left scrambling. The team looked okay to start the season with Anthony Richardson, it looked like they found someone for the first time since Luck moved on. Now that he is injured they are relying on Gardner Minshew to lead the way. Minshew has been a little turnover-prone, but good enough overall for the Colts. He has 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year. He's completing 63% of passes and keeping them in most contests. The Steelers defense isn't the iron curtain it once was, and is allowing passing yards at about a middle-of-the-pack rate. I am expecting Minshew to pass effectively against them. It is unlikely that Jonathan Taylor plays in this game, but Zack Moss should be ready to go. He was very good before Taylor got back and I think the Colts offensive line will win this battle against the Steelers defensive line.

I think this game will be a bit of a back-and-forth battle, but I think the Colts come out on top in this one. The Steelers offense should be able to move the ball, and I'm expecting both offenses to run regularly - which would probably indicate that the game would be an under. The biggest edge here I think is the Colts offensive line against the Steelers defensive line. I'm going to take the Colts on the moneyline at -125.

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