Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Colts Week 8 Contest with Steelers

It's that time of year again.

Halfway through the season, pundits representing every media source around are ready to start proclaiming eventual division winners and those teams that will manage first-round playoff byes.

Oh, and which teams are jokes, too.

Of course, some of it will be heavy on biases, local and otherwise. Naturally, given the world we live in, analysts will be quick to say either "This is the year," or "Back to the drawing board," despite having at least nine games still on the schedule.

The Indianapolis Colts will be no different.

Sporting a snazzy five-game win streak, during which they have outscored opponents 165-75, Indy is now viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender coming out of the AFC.

It helps that the most productive quarterback in the league is none other than Colts QB Andrew Luck, who leads the NFL in passing yards (by nearly 300) and is tied with Peyton Manning for the lead in passing touchdowns.

So what do the Colts have to do to maintain their path to glory? The next step is beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will host Indy. Pitt will be coming off a short week, having played against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in Week 7.

The Steelers currently sit at 4-3, good for third in the AFC North. They share two common opponents with the Colts to this point, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens.

The Colts were 2-0 in those games and were very convincing, despite only finishing seven points ahead of Baltimore. Pittsburgh was only 1-1 and could easily have lost both, considering their level of play against the Jags. Baltimore stuck it to them 26-6.

A head-to-head matchup isn't that easily dissected, however. The Steelers do have some weapons that could certainly pose problems to the team in white and blue. Let's take a look at which individual matchups will determine the outcome of the game.

Antonio Brown vs. Vontae Davis

It seems like each week, the Colts face a team with an elite wideout that needs containing. And every week, Davis takes that wideout completely out of the game plan.

Davis has raised his game to another stratosphere in 2014. Given his level of performance to this point, he has to be considered one of the best players at his position in the entire league.

But Antonio Brown is the poster child for consistent production at the wide receiver position. In the six games he's played this season, he has topped 83 yards every week. He has also added five touchdowns.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this matchup is that neither of them fits the prototypical mold for their respective position. The NFL has adopted a league-wide trend of bigger, more physical players on the outside. At 5'10" and 5'11", respectively, Brown and Davis simply don't have the size advantage that many superstars around the league do.

Nevertheless, the video above shows clearly that it isn't always size that counts.

It's what you do with it.

Disclaimer: I'm well-aware Giovani Bernard is a certifiable Smurf.

Dick LeBeau vs. Pep Hamilton

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

For all my griping about the play-calling this season, it's been hard to argue the results in recent weeks. Luck is terrorizing every defense he faces and is poised to break a Manning record during this game.

And with the struggles they've had on defense, it really seems unlikely that the Steelers have the talent necessary to stand in his way.

But if any team in the league has a coaching advantage, it's the Steelers. LeBeau basically invented the term "defense" and has been already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, despite his status as an active genius/defensive coordinator.

Hamilton, on the other hand, is still very green in the NFL. He spent only two years calling plays at Stanford, 2011-12, and has now spent 2013 and seven games of 2014 calling plays in the pros.

Results have varied.

With the tear Indy has been on in the last month, a Colts offensive fiesta is the odds-on favorite as far as likely scenarios go. But that doesn't mean it's a guarantee.

Le'Veon Bell vs. Jerrell Freeman and D'Qwell Jackson

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Bell came out of the gate with his hair on fire in 2014, totaling 197 yards in Week 1. He hasn't been that good in a game since, but he has managed over 100 total yards in every game this year. He's a receiving machine, too, recording at least five catches four times already this year.

A true do-it-all back.

But if there is a defense playing as aggressively and fast as Bell, it's Indy's. The Colts rank fourth in the league against the pass, ninth against the run and fourth in total scoring.

Where did this come from?

Freeman and especially Jackson have been a big part of the Colts success on D. Jackson has really been the backbone of a defense that is having its best showing since 2007. Freeman, while he has missed some time, has been a major impact player while on the field. As the season wears on, his presence will only increase in value.

Regardless of how it's happening, the fact is that the Colts' D is on a mission right now. It's going to be a fantastic matchup against a team that ranks fourth in total offense.