Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) – Indianapolis Colts (10-5) : 28-24
Pittsburgh is back! On a three-game losing streak after winning their first eleven games of the season, the Steelers regained their taste for victory with a big second half, in which they completely turned the tide. Ben Roethlisberger (34/49 passing, 342 YDS, 3 TD) triggered Big Ben mode after the break to guide his team’s comeback against a solid Colts team. It’s official, the AFC North is for Pittsburgh.
Colts roll, Steelers roll
The first half is a summary of the form of the two teams over the last three weeks. Pittsburgh side, the attack is quite simply at a standstill. Ben Roethlisberger is in the rough, the racing game is nonexistent and no one seems capable of bringing a little madness into it. At the Colts? It’s quite the opposite. The ground game weighs under the impetus of Jonathan Taylor (18 races, 74 YDS, 2 TD) and Philip Rivers (22/35, 270 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 lost fumble) continues on its current good momentum in distributing the ball well, thus giving a nice offensive balance to Indianapolis.
This clear domination is reflected on the scoreboard. On their first drive of the game, the Colts cover 70 yards in just nine games and score a first touchdown by Taylor. The latter found the end zone a second time after a big series of 12 games and 85 yards, then Rivers sent a 42-yard bomb to Zach Pascal (3 REC, 64 YDS, 1 TD) for a third touchdown. The addition could have been even saltier without this defensive big play from Pittsburgh at the start of the second quarter: a sack-fumble from TJ Watt recovered by Mike Hilton, allowing James Conner (5 races, 20 YDS, 1 TD, 5 REC, 45 YDS) to score behind. But at 7-21 at the break, the Colts are clearly in control of the game.
Philip Rivers regains the ardor of his youth tonight ????pic.twitter.com/W1fY3ne3nu
— TDActu.com – Actu NFL ???? (@TDActu) December 27, 2020
Diontae Johnson sounds the revolt
Can we really expect a reaction from Pittsburgh given the level of play displayed for a few weeks? Not really, especially since the start of the second half does not turn to the advantage of the Steelers. After a Colts field goal, Mike Tomlin’s men failed four times when it was necessary to conclude very close to the opposing end zone. In short, it smells of scorch. But one action will completely revive Pittsburgh.
Diontae Johnson lays out for the TD catch ???? @Juiceup__3 #HereWeGo
????: #INDvsPIT on CBS
????: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/IFHvVPw7XT pic.twitter.com/6h9lLx7805— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020
Three minutes from the end of the third quarter, Ben Roethlisberger sends a 39-yard pass to Diontae Johnson (8 REC, 75 YDS, 1 TD), who does the rest. This is the big play the Steelers needed. The Pittsburgh defense immediately surfs the wave by making life difficult for Philip Rivers, while that of Indianapolis connects the penalties. As a result, the Steelers quickly found themselves in position to score again, which they did through a pass from Big Ben to Eric Ebron (5 REC, 47 YDS, 1 TD) (21-24).
The Colts unable to stop the bleeding
Clearly the momentum is on the Pittsburgh side and nothing seems to be able to stop the men in black and yellow. A new defensive stop allows the Steelers to reclaim the leather, and their racing game is awakening. The duo Ben Roethlisberger – James Conner advances Pitt, then JuJu Smith-Schuster (9 REC, 96 YDS, 1 TD) makes the difference by capturing a touchdown from 25 yards. So that’s three consecutive drives concluded with an aerial touchdown, and Pittsburgh takes the advantage for the first time in the match (28-24).
Big Ben to JuJu to put the @steelers ahead! #HereWeGo
????: #INDvsPIT on CBS
????: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/IFHvVPw7XT pic.twitter.com/ZPVRsMLJaq— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020
Can Philip Rivers lead his people in the money time? The Colts quarterback has two opportunities to restore the advantage to his team. The first flies quickly when Rivers is intercepted by Mike Hilton. The second, after a stop of its defense, has a longer lifespan but the result is the same. Indianapolis returns the ball to the opponent on an unconverted fourth down between Rivers and Zach Pascal. Pittsburgh’s comeback is validated!
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