By Jared Villani
SteelerNation.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a rocky start against the Indianapolis Colts on their first offensive drive of the game after a rare drop from JuJu Smith-Schuster resulted in a Kenny Moore interception.
Unfortunately, the Colts took advantage of the early turnover by giving veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri a shot at adding the games' first points on the board with a 25-yard chip shot. Indianapolis jumps out to a 3-0 lead over the Steelers.
Mason Rudolph and the Steelers offense looked to get back on track and chipped their way down field with Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds doing a great deal of the damage. Unfortunately, an efficient 11-play drive would only result in a field goal as Chris Boswell knocked down in a 21-yard field goal to even the score at 3-3.
The Colts unfortunately suffered a significant loss on the offensive end as quarterback Jacoby Brissett went to the sidelines with an apparent knee injury. This did not stop the Colts from putting points on the board as backup quarterback Brian Hoyer threaded the needle on a touchdown pass to tight end Jack Doyle. The Colts now lead 10-3 over the Steelers.
On Indianapolis' next offensive drive, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick further proved why trading for him was a fantastic move by taking it to the house on a 96-yard pick on a pass intended for Jack Doyle to tie things up. Since the trade, Fitzpatrick's presence on the defense has been extremely prevalent and given the defensive unit a huge boost in the secondary.
Minkah Fitzpatrick in six games since the Steelers gave up a 1st-round pick:
25 tackles
4 picks
1 forced fumble
TD
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/GX5APtXpFT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 3, 2019
Minkah Fitzpatrick in 7+ games with the Steelers: 36 tackles, 4 interceptions (T-2nd most in NFL), 5 PBU, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD scored.
Beast.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 3, 2019
Hoyer and the Colts didn't take long to answer back as it only took Indianapolis six plays to take the lead back after a 14-yard touchdown to wide receiver Zach Pascal. Colts now lead 16-10.
Steelers were making the most of their drives on offense after their mishap on the first drive and this time around, Boswell chipped away at the Colts lead with a big 51-yard field goal. Steelers trail 16-13 heading into the second half.
The Steelers defense brought the pressure on Hoyer as Bud Dupree came off the edge and forced a much needed turnover as the Colts approached the red zone. The offense had the defense's back on this drive and after 11 plays, Mason Rudolph threw his first touchdown of the game to Vance McDonald.
Can't let the #Vanimal get loose!@VMcDonald89 pic.twitter.com/Hp1tGTB5NW
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 3, 2019
After a successful defensive drive by Pittsburgh, Indianapolis was able to pin the offense at the one-yard line which in turn led to a safety as pressure came swarming in on Rudolph. Indianapolis still trails 18-20 with the 4th quarter approaching.
With the 4th quarter underway, a fortunate Chester Rogers fumble would lead to Boswell keeping his perfect day going with a 33-yard field goal to add to their lead, now 23-18 over the Colts.
Pittsburgh had been riding Jaylen Samuels in this matchup to this point, but his near-perfect day came to an end with an untimely fumble which gave the Colts excellent field position. Chester Rogers and Brian Hoyer got a shot at redemption with a four-yard touchdown connection to put the Colts back in the lead, now 24-23.
The back and forth action continued and Pittsburgh was able to lean on their reliable kicker once again with Boswell converting from 26 yards this time to give the Steelers a 26-24 lead.
The Steelers defense stayed resilient down the stretch of the game and forced the Colts to turn to Vinatieri, and to say the long-time vet shanked the 43-yard attempt would be a massive understatement. Not a pretty win for Pittsburgh, but a win is a win, especially against a tough team.
Pittsburgh Stat Leaders
Mason Rudolph 26 for 35 191 Yards 1 Touchdown 1 Int
Trey Edmunds 12 Carries 73 Yards
Jaylen Samuels 13 Receptions 73 Yards
Minkah Fitzparick 7 Tackles 1 Pick-Six
Terrell Edmunds 8 Tackles
