The Steelers are surely hoping that history repeats itself Saturday against the Colts. Pittsburgh is 27-6 all time against Indianapolis and has won seven straight games in the series. The Steelers' most recent win over the Colts occurred last November, when Pittsburgh left Indianapolis with a 24-17 win on "Monday Night Football."
Saturday's game is a massive one as far as playoff implications are concerned. The Steelers lead a pack of six 7-6 win teams that includes the Colts, who have remained in playoff contention despite losing starting rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson way back in Week 4. The Colts have also played large chunks of the year without former league rushing champion Jonathan Taylor, who will miss Saturday's game as he deal with a thumb injury.
Injuries have also been hampering the Steelers, especially over the past month. Pittsburgh has lost both starting inside linebackers to injury and has played the past two games without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, who remains sidelined with an ankle injury. Pittsburgh's offense, which wasn't doing so hot even when Pickett was healthy, has sunk to even lower levels with Mitch Trubisky under center during the team's recent losses to Arizona and New England.
Here's how you can follow the action on Saturday, along with our prediction.
How to watch Steelers-Colts
- When: Saturday, Dec 16 | 4:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Lucas Oil Stadium -- Indianapolis, Indiana
- TV: NFL Network | Live stream: fubo (click here)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: IND -1.5; O/U 42 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Prediction
The Bengals basically provided the Steelers with a blueprint of how to beat a Colts team that, prior to last Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, had won four straight games. Cincinnati prevailed by stopping the run, holding the Colts to just 1 of 3 in the red zone and also holding them to 3 of 11 on third downs. Offensively, the Bengals protected Jake Browning while leaning heavily on running backs Joe Mixon and Chase Brown, who had a combined 29 carries while also turning screen passes into gains of 54 and 45 yards.
Pittsburgh will essentially try to emulate that plan, but that's going to require Trubisky to play better than he has in recent weeks. He doesn't need to be Browning, but Trubisky will have to have some success through the air in order to set the table for running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris. If they can do that while forcing Gardner Minshew into some mistakes, the Steelers should leave Indy with their eighth straight win over the Colts. Pick: Steelers 20, Colts 13
