WHAT WENT RIGHT
* Coach Mike Tomlin believes good sudden-change defense is based on a mentality, and the Steelers defense responded to Jacoby Jones' fumble by rising up and coming up with a takeaway. On a third-and-9 from the Pittsburgh 10-yard line, Matt Hasselbeck tried to get the ball to tight end Coby Fleener over the middle, but Jarvis Jones got in front of the receiver and went high in the air to intercept the ball just outside the goal line.
- After the DeAngelo Williams fumble, the Steelers defense allowed only 9 yards on three plays to force the Colts to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri and a 3-0 lead.
- The Steelers recorded a second takeaway before the end of the first quarter – and it was another interception – on a third-and-15 from the Indianapolis 25-yard line, with the down and distance set up by a sack from Will Allen. Matt Hasselbeck's throw was intended for Griff Whalen, but Will Gay got his hands on the ball to tip into the air, and Brandon Boykin came up fast to make a diving interception at the Colts 37-yard line.
- Ben Roethlisberger owned the Colts last year when he passed for over 500 yards and had six touchdown passes in the game here last year. In the first half this time, Roethlisberger completed 18-of-27 (67 percent), with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rating of 116.1. By contrast, Matt Hasselbeck completed 9-of-14 for 82 yards, with one touchdown, two interceptions, and a rating of 64.3.
- The Steelers scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions of the second quarter to turn a 10-6 deficit into a the 21-10 lead they took into the locker room at halftime. On the first of those, Roethlisberger completed 6-of-7 for 71 yards and the 7-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. On the next, he completed 5-of-8 for 75 yards and the 5-yard touchdown to Markus Wheaton.
- The Colts received the second half kickoff. Indianapolis went three-and-out, and the Steelers got the ball at their own 25-yard line following Pat McAfee's third punt of the game.
- It didn't take the Steelers long to extend their lead to 28-10. On a third-and-3 from the 32-yard line, Ben Roethlisberger lofted a perfect pass down the right sideline to Martavis Bryant, who caught the ball in stride at the Colts 41-yard line and out-ran the secondary for the 68-yard touchdown.
- On a third-and-3 from their own 15-yard line, the Steelers converted via a holding penalty on Colts cornerback Vontae Davis.
- It was a nice block by David DeCastro, but it also was a nice display of speed by DeAngelo Williams on a 16-yard run that was the first of a series of successful running plays by the Steelers through the midway point of the third quarter. During this series of plays, Williams carried four times for 44 yards and Fitzgerald Toussaint added a 7-yard run in his first carry for the Steelers.
WHAT WENT WRONG
- Pat McAfee's opening kickoff went 8 yards deep into the end zone, and Jacoby Jones – possibly pressing to make a play for his relatively new team – elected to bring it out of the end zone. After a modest return, Jonathan Newsome forced a fumble that was recovered by the Colts at the Steelers 11-yard line by D'Joun Smith.
- It ended up being two turnovers for the Steelers in the opening 2:35 when DeAngelo Williams had the ball stripped by linebacker Nate Irving, and Kendall Langford recovered for the Colts at the Steelers 25-yard line.
- The Colts took a 10-6 lead with 8:26 remaining in the first half based on a sequence that began with a short punt from Jordan Berry and ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gore on a play in which the Steelers rushed only three guys. As a result, Matt Hasselbeck had plenty of time to survey the field before locating Gore close to the goal line.
- That third quarter possession for the Steelers that included 51 yards worth of rushing ended with Chris Boswell missing a 47-yard field goal attempt. Then armed with good field position, the Colts moved the ball into scoring territory on a 34-yard pass to running back Frank Gore during which Ryan Shazier, Mike Mitchell, and then Jarvis Jones all failed to get him on the ground.
