The 5: Steelers keys to success over Colts on the road
The Pittsburgh Steelers go on the road to play the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15 of the 2023 NFL regular season. Both teams are 7-6 in a tight grouping of AFC teams with the same record all vying for playoff position. Both teams enter the game off of losses.
More evenly matched than analysts may have believed they would be at the beginning of the season, the Steelers are hoping to end the two-week skid they’ve experienced over back to back weeks. We examine five keys to what would give the Steelers success over the Colts and get them back in the win column.
Get Trubisky out of the pocket
It has already been clarified that Kenny Pickett (ankle) will not dress for this game and that Mitch Trubisky will be the starting quarterback. The veteran struggled to operate an effective offense over the past two games, and that was disastrous. Especially bad was the numerous times Trubisky was forced to remain in the pocket as pressure collapsed the offensive line; he’s not evasive enough in traffic to escape.
Instead, play calling that focuses on opportunities for Trubisky to roll out, use more option motions, and move laterally would set up more accurate short throws and prevent him from having to progress through multiple reads.
Trubisky has shown better success in up-tempo play, so playing to his strengths would elevate his ability to get a rhythm with the offense.
Be creative with the running backs
One thing that has been absent recently, especially in Week 14, was confidence in how running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were utilized. The duo have proven they can be an effective one-two punch. Most teams’ defenses, including the Colts, don’t deal with the type of versatility Harris and Warren present.
Getting the ground game established will be as important to overall offensive success for Pittsburgh as it will be to get both running backs involved in the short-pass game.
Steelers fans aren’t particularly fond of screens, but the Cincinnati Bengals chewed the Colts up last week using a variety of them.
In space, Harris and Warren are shifty, tough backs to bring to the turf. It will require better blocking up front and from receivers/tight ends to get the backs into the second level, but it would create opportunities for smart, deeper throws from Trubisky to Diontae Johnson and George Pickens in optimal situations; not just on third-and-long plays where the deep pass has a low percentage to be completed.
Creativity with how Harris and Warren are utilized in blocking schemes would also free up more opportunities for tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward to squirt off of blocks in attacks over the middle of the field and along the sidelines.
Solid, disciplined offensive line play
The Colts struggled to amass much pressure up front against the Bengals, which allowed the Cincinnati offensive line to get better pass protection as push. The Steelers need to take advantage of that weakness. It will take discipline to eliminate penalties and still offer proper protection for Trubisky.
When the Steelers’ offensive line has utilized more traps and pulls, the run game greatly benefitted. That takes solid play across the entire line but it’s critical if this team is to make strides forward. It also requires a higher level of communication, which is something players have admitted has been a crucial part of their pre-game preparation.
Pressure Minshew heavily and often
Under duress nearly all of last week’s game with the Bengals, Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew not only looked uncomfortable but had no real success in giving Indianapolis’ offense any lift. Pittsburgh has more than capable players on their roster to increase the heat and apply pressure.
If T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith aren’t 100 percent, the Steelers are fortunate to have Nick Herbig and Markus Golden in the wings.
That doesn’t mean all the pressure has to come from the outside linebackers. In fact, getting more exotic by mixing in different defensive looks may be just what tips things in favor of Pittsburgh’s defense.
The middle linebackers group has been decimated by injuries this season, but that simply requires the personnel on the field play at a high level and work in tandem with the defensive backs. A few corner blitzes and mix of coverage packages can create a different level of pressure. Not every defender is accounted for on every single play, and the Steelers must capitalize on those opportunities.
Better communication and improved execution
It’s the time of the season where veteran players often become more important on the field than coaching staff. How can that be?
Experienced NFL players see how the guys playing beside them are executing up close and personal, and they’re in the best position to be able to directly communicate corrections, offer encouragement, and keep emotions under control.
Cameron Heyward is often teased by his teammates as being more senior, but his experience – among others like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Larry Ogunjobi – is almost like having a coach on the spot who has experienced all the tricks that opposing offense have shown.
That is more valuable than casual fans of the game realize.
Equate it to having a military leader who knows the enemy and the field of battle, who has led from the front and from behind, and it becomes more clear that other troops will respect that knowledge and leadership and improve their execution individually and collectively.
The Steelers don’t just need more of that on defense. They need trust and leadership on offense as well. In fact, the offense absolutely needs leadership on the field if they are to find success.
That doesn’t absolve the coaching staff from playing their parts from the sidelines. In fact, better communication between members of the staff during the game is a major component to how the game plan is executed as evolves. At this point in the season, they’re all on a hot seat to be better and find ways to motivate and educate the players under them while seeking victory.
