Pittsburgh Steelers: Indianapolis Colts recap

Indy’s only score came on a 5-yard TD pass from Tolzien to Donte Moncrief early in the second quarter, a play set up by the first completion of Pat McAfee’s career on a fake punt. While they knew that facing an already struggling Colts team that was missing Andrew Luck put them at an advantage, the Steelers used a sledgehammer in this one. More important, none of them came from Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, they now get to sit back and see how things unfold this Sunday. He entered Thursday’s game with one touchdown and five interceptions on 91 career passes, and yet for at least three quarters, a vulnerable Steelers secondary made the 29-year-old undrafted journeyman look like a decent starter. And he made big plays at opportune times, especially on the two goal line stands that kept the Colts out of the end zone.

“He’s worked so hard to get back out there”, Roethlisberger said. The quarterback knows how important games are in the final month of the year, and that they are the difference maker when it comes to playing in the post-season or watching it from home. “We don’t take it for granted, we appreciate it, but it was much needed”.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) are coming from a 24-9 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.

Make no mistake, right tackle Marcus Gilbert rounding into form after a midfoot/ankle injury has contributed to the run-game improvement. The ankle took longer than expected to heal and Green, who opened the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and was not activated until November 13 against Dallas, admits he’s still not 100 percent. Bell said he was smart in that game knowing there was a short week ahead, getting down, protecting himself and avoiding a lot of hits. “I did some things, but I could have done some other things better”.

The Steelers are being cautious with Green. Center Maurkice Pouncey said the Steelers should have Bell getting 100 yards on the ground every week.

“He’s a guy who’s been through a lot”. “It’s time for us to roll our sleeves up, show our identity, put our will on display and find a way to do what we desire to do”.

“Couple weeks ago, we were down a bunch in Tennessee (21-0) and then obviously our three 3-and-outs to start the game against Washington didn’t help”.

All they needed Scott Tolzien to do was give them a chance, and he did that.

After Adam Vinatieri missed a field goal attempt wide from 52, the Steelers came right back with their second straight TD drive, this one 58 yards.

The Vikings (6-5) have lost five of six, plummeting out of first place after surging to the top of the division by winning their first five games. He now has an NFL-best 10 games with multiple touchdown receptions over the last three seasons. The Steelers were the first team since 2007 to play two games in five days on the road. That’s why the contributions of Green had teammates so happy.

“We just watched a clip today of him throwing the ball 70 yards in the air, so he’s still got the arm strength, he’s got the mobility, he’s got the accuracy”. Last week, the Steelers broke their four-game losing streak and this week, they started a new winning streak.

There’s no choice now, and Pagano can’t afford to fret with a critical game looming between two playoff contenders.