COIN TOSS: Indianapolis calls heads. It's heads. Colts win the toss and will defer. Steelers will get the ball first.
1:07 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers managed two first downs – one on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster and the second on a short pass to Jaylen Samuels that turned into a 17-yard gain. But then on a third-and-13, Mason Rudolph's pass bounced off Smith-Schuster's hands and was intercepted by Kenny Moore, who returned it 35 yards to the Steelers 35-yard line.
1:13 p.m. – What Went Right: The defense took the field and ultimately forced the Colts to settle for a red zone field goal, which Adam Vinatieri made from 25 yards out to give Indianapolis a 3-0 lead with 7:09 left in the first quarter. After the Colts moved to a first-and-goal at the 7-yard line, Vince Williams tackled Jacoby Brissett for a 3-yard loss on a running play, and then on the next snap Bud Dupree sacked him for a loss of 4 yards.
1:23 p.m. – What Went Wrong: Holding the Colts to a red zone field goal was a positive for the Steelers, but then settling for one was a negative for the Steelers offense. After the touchback on the kickoff following Adam Vinatieri's field goal, Trey Edmonds was sprung by a block from Maurkice Pouncey for a 45-yard run. Two plays later, a 9-yard completion to James Washington converted a third-and-7, and then three plays after that an 8-yard pass to Jaylen Samuels converted a third-and-4 and gave the Steelers a first down at the Colts 4-yard line. After a 3-yard run by Samuels, Edmunds appeared to have an opening around the left end, but he hit it up inside and was stopped for a 2-yard loss. An incomplete pass later, Chris Boswell tied the game with a 21-yard field goal that came with 58 seconds left in the first quarter.
1:39 p.m. – What Went Wrong: Parris Campbell returned Chris Boswell's kickoff 38 yards to get Indianapolis started at their own 37-yard line following Boswell's game tying field goal. Jacoby Brissett completed an 18-yard pass to Zach Pascal, and a dump-off to Marlon Mack gained 27 yards when Steven Nelson missed a tackle in the flat. When Brissett was shaken up a couple of plays later, Brian Hoyer came on to relieve him and on his second play he was facing a third-and-goal at the 11-yard line. Devin Bush got beat to the inside by tight end Jack Doyle, and it was an easy pitch-and-catch for the touchdown. The Colts led, 10-3, with 11:57 left in the second quarter.
1:50 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers offense was having some success moving the ball, but it again failed to convert a possession down, this one a fourth-and-2 from the Indianapolis 35-yard line. A holding penalty on Jordan Dangerfield during the kickoff return meant the possession began at the Pittsburgh 14-yard line, but a 13-yard catch by James Washington and then a 4-yard catch by Washington on second-and-1 brought the Steelers close to midfield. But on the fourth down, a shovel pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster was snuffed out by Jabaal Sheard for no gain.
1:58 p.m. – What Went Right: The game was on the verge of getting away from the Steelers when on a first-and-10 from the Pittsburgh 19-yard line, Brian Hoyer tried to get the ball to Jack Doyle. Minkah Fitzpatrick went up for the interception and raced down right sideline for a 96-yard touchdown that tied the game, 10-10, with 2:21 left in the first half. It was the second-longest regular season interception return for a touchdown in franchise history, behind the 99-yard return by Martin Kottler in 1933 against the Chicago Cardinals.
2:07 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Colts went right down the field following Minkah Fitzpatrick pick-six, 75 yards in six plays that took just 1:39 to retake the lead, 16-10 after Adam Vinatieri's extra point was blocked by Cam Heyward. A 21-yard pass to Nyheim Hines and a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on T.J. Watt got things started for the Colts, and the touchdown came on a 14-yard pass to Zach Pascal. There was 37 seconds left in the first half when the Steelers offense got the ball back at the 20-yard line.
2:16 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers cut the Colts' six-point lead in half when Chris Boswell hit a 51-yard field goal on an untimed down at the end of the first half. During the play that resulted in a 5-yard completion to Vance McDonald as time ran out, Colts linebacker Darius Leonard was penalized for unnecessary roughness. The 15-yard assessment put the ball at the Indianapolis 33-yard line, and Boswell came on to drill the attempt, which made the halftime score: Indianapolis 16, Pittsburgh 13.
2:39 p.m. – What Went Right: The Colts took the second half kickoff, and after a 31-yard return by Parris Campbell, Brian Hoyer moved them to a fourth-and-2 at the Steelers 46-yard line. Marlon Mack gained 5 yards to convert that possession down. Three plays later, the Colts had a fourth-and-4, but this time Bud Dupree broke through to sack Hoyer to force a fumble that Dupree also recovered to give the Steelers the ball at their 46-yard line.
2:50 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers took advantage of Bud Dupree's sack-strip-recovery to drive 54 yards in 11 plays to take their first lead of the day. A 7-yard pass to Vance McDonald provided the touchdown that gave the Steelers a 20-16 lead with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter. A 15-yard roughing penalty on Darius Leonard was added to a 4-yard completion to JuJu Smith-Schuster for one first down, and then passes of 8 and 7 yards to Jaylen Samuels converted two other third downs.
3:04 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers finally forced the Colts to punt for the first time late in the third period, but Ricoberto Sanchez's kick was downed at the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. On third-and-3, Mason Rudolph was sacked in the end zone by Justin Houston for the safety that cut the Steelers' lead to 20-18 with 1:05 left in the third quarter.
3:11 p.m. – What Went Right: On the free kick following the safety, Chester Rogers tracked down Jordan Berry's punt and on the return Ola Adeniyi forced a fumble that Johnny Holton recovered at the Indianapolis 17-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Chris Boswell lined up to attempt a 33-yard field goal. His kick was good, and the Steelers led, 23-18, with 14:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.
3:27 p.m. – What Went Wrong: It started with the Steelers in possession of the ball and facing a third-and-7 at their 28-yard line. A quick pass to Jaylen Samuels wasn't going to be good enough for the first down, and then it got worse when Marvell Tell forced a fumble that Justin Houston recovered at the 30-yard line. Five plays later, the Colts faced a third-and-8 from the 10-yard line. Brian Hoyer ducked under Cam Heyward and gained 6 yards to set up a fourth-and-2 from the 4-yard line. From there, Hoyer passed to Chester Rogers for the touchdown. On the two-point conversion attempt, Terrell Edmunds broke up a pass for Jack Doyle, and the Colts led, 24-23, with 8:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.
3:40 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers regained the lead with 6:36 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Chris Boswell that capped a six-play, 67-yard drive. Mason Rudolph started the drive with a 40-yard completion to James Washington, and 24 more yards came courtesy of a pass interference penalty on Marvell Tell.
4:04 p.m. – What Went Right: Things were looking bleak for the Steelers. Leading by just two points, the Colts had gotten a 25-yard pass interference penalty to convert a third-and-10, and then Mike Tomlin's challenge for offensive pass interference on Zach Pascal was denied, and the play instead went for a 19-yard gain. In the end, Adam Vinatieri lined up for a 43-yard field goal attempt to put the Colts in the lead, but he missed it to the left. The Steelers took over, took a knee twice and escaped with a 26-24 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Steelers 26, Colts 24.
