Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Steelers' Week 8 Contest with Colts

Business is about to pick up for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After facing only one team with a winning record over their first seven games, the Steelers have one of their toughest two-game stretches of the season. It begins with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Riding a five-game winning streak, the Colts are one of the hottest teams in the league. One of the main reasons is the play of Andrew Luck. He is the third-rated passer in the AFC with a rating of 100.5 and leads the league in yards and touchdowns entering Week 8.

While much of the story on Sunday will be about the defense’s ability to stop Luck and the Colts offense, the play of Indianapolis’ defense cannot be ignored.

It ranks fifth against the pass, ninth against the run and has allowed an average of 15 points per game during its win streak.

Without any star players, Indianapolis is playing good team defense. It is aggressive and plays physical, which should match up well against Pittsburgh’s offense.

Sunday’s game will not only be one of the toughest for the Steelers, but also a litmus test to determine if they are truly contenders in the AFC. Here are some of the key matchups to watch for against the Colts.

Jason Worilds vs. Gosder Cherilus

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

There are few quarterbacks playing as well as Luck, but that does not mean that he isn’t susceptible to making mistakes. Though he can move around in the pocket, any time a defense can pressure a quarterback, good things will happen.

As good as Luck is, he is susceptible to making mistakes. Through seven games, he has thrown seven interceptions and has been sacked 11 times.

A matchup that the Steelers will look to exploit is Jason Worilds against Gosder Cherilus.

According to the Washington Post, Cherilus has allowed 2.5 sacks this year for 12.5 yards. Worilds only has two sacks this season but is coming off his best game of the year against the Houston Texans. He finished the day with five tackles—one for a loss—and one forced fumble.

Beyond his stats, Worilds was very active and getting pressure on the quarterback. The evaluators at Pro Football Focus noticed this. Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain indicates that he scored a plus-7.7, which was the best of the day for the Steelers, on PFF's grading system.

Cherilus struggles in pass protection, and this is an area that defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau needs to attack.

Worilds demonstrated that he can get to the quarterback when given the opportunity, and he should get plenty of them on Sunday.

Luck will pick apart the secondary if the Steelers sit back and give him time to throw the ball. Rather than let this happen, they must exploit the matchup between Worilds and Cherilus to try to get as much pressure as possible.

Brice McCain and Cortez Allen vs. T.Y. Hilton

Don Wright/Associated Press

With William Gay on Reggie Wayne, the duo of Brice McCain and Cortez Allen will have the task of covering T.Y. Hilton. He may not be a household name, but Hilton is an outstanding young receiver capable of making big plays.

Hilton is third in the league with 711 yards on 68 receptions and has one touchdown.

Beyond his raw stats, the Steelers must be aware of his big-play ability. He has 10 receptions of 20-plus yards, which ties him for fourth in the league, and averages 15.1 yards per reception.

In fact, he compares quite favorably to Antonio Brown with a good combination of speed, quickness and route-running ability, all while lacking size (5'9", 178 lbs) and elite physical traits. He demonstrated these traits against the Texans, turning a 12-yard reception into a 37-yard again.

Credit: NFL.com

The Steelers have had problems over the middle of the field and will need McCain and Allen to be at the top of their game, as both could spend time against Hilton.

McCain just entered the starting lineup last week but spent time in the slot as the nickel corner when Cortez Allen was on the field. That means that Allen could see plenty of time against Hilton on the outside.

Allen has struggled this year, and while he has been in position to make plays, he has failed to. Whether it is Allen or McCain, they can expect to see a ton of action, as Hilton has received at least nine targets in six of Indianapolis' seven games.

Hilton is quickly becoming Luck’s favorite target and will be the key for the Colts’ passing attack on Sunday.

Le’Veon Bell vs. D’Qwell Jackson

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The Indianapolis Colts have only allowed one 100-yard rusher during their five-game winning streak. That came in Week 6 against the Houston Texans, when Arian Foster ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The next highest total came from Justin Forsett, who ran for 42 yards and a score.

According to Jim Johnson of The Associated Press, the play of D’Qwell Jackson and has been the key component of the defensive turnaround for the Colts.

"Jackson may not have been the most coveted free agent on the market when Indy signed the former Cleveland Browns linebacker in the offseason, but his arrival has helped reinforce the team's run defense and point things in the right direction," he wrote.

Colts safety Mike Adams highlighted his importance not only in Indianapolis, but in Cleveland as well when the two were teammates on the Browns.

"He was the heart and soul of the defense," Adams said. "He was young, but he still had that presence that everybody respected, and we needed him."

Jackson will need to be ready to go on Sunday, as he has the task of stopping one of the top running backs in the NFL—Le’Veon Bell.

Bell ranks third in rushing with 599 yards and is second with 938 yards from scrimmage. In fact, he has over 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season, including a season-low 57 rushing yards and a season-high 88 receiving yards last week.

With an average of nearly 22 touches per game, there are few offensive players more dangerous than Bell when it comes to running and receiving the football.

He will once again be a featured component of Pittsburgh’s offense this week and will be a focus of the Indianapolis defense.

Behind the play of Jackson, the Colts have done an admirable job against running backs this season, but Bell is one of the best in the league and has a chance to be as successful against this defense as Foster was several weeks ago.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.

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