Colts vs. Steelers: Full Pittsburgh Game Preview

Despite taking different paths to 6-5 and having to shuffle between the starting quarterback and backup quarterbacks due to injuries, the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) and Indianapolis Colts (6-5) come into Sunday night's prime-time game with plenty at stake in the AFC playoff picture.

If you thought last week's game at Seattle was a must-win game in terms of playoff implications, the Sunday night battle with the Colts will go a long way towards determining who claims the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. 

With identical 6-5 records entering Week 13, the Steelers and Colts share similar qualities, namely dealing with tons of injuries, having to rely on their backup quarterbacks to pick up key wins, having horrendous secondary play and ravaged offensive lines.

Outside of that, this one appears lopsided on paper as the Steelers hold the clear advantage offensively and defensively. However, the magic of Matt Hasselbeck is real and isn't going away anytime soon.

As the starter in place of the injured Andrew Luck this season, Hasselbeck is a sparkling 4-0, throwing for nearly 260 yards per game to go along with a 64.7 percent completion percentage and a 3.5-1 TD-to-INT ratio on the year.

Not bad for a 40-year-old quarterback whom many thought was done after a disastrous preseason.

If the Steelers can get to Hasselbeck and force a few turnovers, the Colts offense loses all of its explosion thanks to a declining rushing attack led by Frank Gore. Since he rushed for 98 yards against the Houston Texans on October 3, Gore hasn't come close to that total, rushing for 53, 86, 57 and 24 yards in the following weeks.

Without Luck, the Colts aren't a team that scares many teams, especially playoff contenders in the AFC outside of Houston, whom the Colts have beaten once this year.

With all of that said, Sunday night's showdown with the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field is as big of a must-win game as the Pittsburgh Steelers have had all year.

Location:  Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA

TV:  NBC Sunday Night Football

Time:  8:30 p.m. ET

Week 12 Pittsburgh Recap

Associated Press

AFC NORTH

Cincinnati Bengals (9-2)

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)

Baltimore Ravens (4-7)

Cleveland Browns (2-9)

The Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Seattle to take on the defending NFC Champion Seahawks, but ultimately came up short thanks to some poor coaching decisions and terrifyingly abysmal secondary play as Russell Wilson threw five touchdown passes — three to Doug Baldwin and two to Jermaine Kearse — as the Seahawks picked up the key win, 39-30, over Pittsburgh.

Cincinnati hosted the St. Louis Rams and easily dispatched the struggling St. Louis franchise, 31-7, as the Bengals held Todd Gurley to 19 yards rushing on nine carries while intercepting Nick Foles three times. Andy Dalton threw for 233 yards and three scores, and Jeremy Hill racked up 86 yards on 16 carries in the win.

The Ravens and Browns squared off in what many thought would be the worst Monday Night Football game in league history, but surprisingly the Ravens and Browns turned in a game for the ages as Will Hill returned a blocked field goal for the win with no time left on the clock as the Ravens, behind Matt Schaub and Kamar Aiken, defeated the Browns, behind Josh McCown and Austin Davis, 33-27.

Latest Steelers News and Notes

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Brown named AFC Offensive Player of the Month:

Although Brown was held relatively in check by Seattle's Richard Sherman, the Steelers receiver was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Mark Kaboly and Ralph N. Paulk.

In the month of November, Brown hauled in 39 passes for 521 yards, which was good for 130.3 yards per game. Brown added three touchdowns in the month of November, including this highlight-reel flip into the end zone against Cleveland.

With just four games left in the season, Brown sits second in the NFL with 85 receptions for 1,192 yards and five touchdowns, which is just nine receptions behind Atlanta's Julio Jones.

Win and in:

The AFC playoff picture is very unclear right now, namely the Wild Card picture. 

For Pittsburgh to take care of business and get back to the playoffs for the second straight year, the Steelers will make it easy on themselves by winning out, instead of relying on other teams to push them into the playoffs. Remember 2013? The Steelers would like to do everything possible to avoid that, according to guard Ramon Foster, who spoke with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Chris Adamski.

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“You never know how this thing's going to fall. One thing we can't count on is other teams getting us in the playoffs.”

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The easiest way to avoid all of that is to win all of their games down the stretch. Pittsburgh can get off to a good start in that regard by picking up a win, Sunday.

James adapting to role in offense:

With tight end Matt Spaeth sidelined with an injury as of late, and veteran tight end Heath Miller banged up, rookie tight end Jesse James has taken on an increased role in the Steelers offense. 

After being an inactive player much of the season, James finally got his shot thanks to injuries and his increased presence in practice, showing the coaches he's capable of playing the position.

Since making his NFL debut against the Oakland Raiders, Nov. 8, in which he caught two passes for 18 yards, including his first NFL touchdown, James has watched his snap totals rise each week, having been on the field for 88 snaps in the past three games, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

Now that Spaeth and Miller both might be unable to go against Indy, Sunday, James could be the lone tight end that dresses for Pittsburgh, which gives him an opportunity to show the coaching staff and the front office just what he can do as the top tight end in the Steelers offense.

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“That's what you've got to be when you're the third guy. You've just got to be able to get plugged in wherever and be ready to do whatever is asked of you."

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Latest Steelers Injury News

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Suffering what was a self-reported concussion after taking a violent helmet-to-helmet hit from Seattle's Michael Bennett, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is listed as probable to play Sunday against Indy.

That's a huge bit of news for Pittsburgh, which won't have to lean on Landry Jones again in a pivotal home game with playoff implications.

Along with Roethlisberger, safety Will Allen (ankle), wide receiver Martavis Bryant (hip), linebacker James Harrison (knee), safety Mike Mitchell (knee), linebacker Ryan Shazier (concussion) and tight end Matt Spaeth (knee) are all listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Colts, according to the Steelers team website.

Will Allen, Mike Mitchell and Martavis Bryant are the biggest concerns in that list as Allen and Mitchell have teamed up to be a very productive safety tandem in a porous secondary for Pittsburgh, while Bryant is a touchdown machine that scares the life out of defenses.

Unfortunately, it looks like tight end Heath Miller (ribs) won't be able to play in this one. Miller suffered the rib injury in the first half against Seattle and missed the rest of the game. Spaeth and rookie Jesse James will have to step up in his absence and provide the Steelers with a reliable weapon in the middle of the field.

Linebacker Sean Spence (hamstring), who filled in for the concussed Shazier, Sunday, will miss the game against Indy.

For the Colts, offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo (knee), wide receiver Phillip Dorsett (ankle), linebacker Jerrell Freeman (hamstring), quarterback Andrew Luck (abdomen, kidney) and offensive guard Hugh Thornton (elbow) are all listed as out for the Colts.

That's two key starters along the offensive line, a big-play threat receiver, a starting linebacker, and the face-of-the-franchise quarterback all set to miss the Sunday night showdown with Pittsburgh. That's a huge blow for the Colts, but they've proven they can win without the aforementioned players.

Colts center Khalid Holmes (fibula) is listed as questionable, while safety Mike Adams (ankle, hamstring), cornerback Vontae Davis (ankle) and linebacker Erik Walden (heel) are listed as probable to play.

Davis is the main concern for Indy, as he'll likely shadow Brown all over the field. If he's even slightly banged up, Brown could once again have a monster day in Heinz Field.

Key Matchups

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Antonio Brown vs. Vontae Davis

Another week, another marquee cornerback for Antonio Brown to match up with.

Just one year ago, Davis had to exit the Colts' 51-34 loss to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field due to a knee injury. This year, Davis comes in hobbled once again as he's dealing with an ankle injury.

In the matchup last year, Brown hauled in 10 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets, most of which came after Davis left the game.

This time, there will be no excuses. For the Colts to have any shot at beating Pittsburgh, they'll have to slow down the passing attack of the Steelers, which features a heavy dose of Antonio Brown.

Ben Roethlisberger vs. Colts secondary

Not much has changed from a year ago in which Roethlisberger torched the Colts defense for 522 passing yards and six touchdowns as the Steelers routed the Colts, 51-34.

However, Roethlisberger is slightly banged up and the Colts will likely be keying on the passing attack. Roethlisberger has thrown an interception in five straight games as well. For Pittsburgh to have their best shot at winning, they need Roethlisberger to protect the football.

If he can play anywhere near how he did last year against Indy, the Colts are in serious trouble as Matt Hasselbeck and the offense won't be able to keep pace with the high-powered Steelers offense.

Fortunately for Indy, the defense has recorded 14 interceptions this season, six of which have come from safety Mike Adams, who is expected to play against Pittsburgh. Force some turnovers and turn them into points and the Colts have a punchers chance at beating Pittsburgh at home.

Matchup X-Factor

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Jesse James

The rookie tight end has watched his snap totals increase week to week, and he's seen the trust from the coaching staff rise each week. 

Now, with Heath Miller likely sidelined for Sunday's game against Indy and Matt Spaeth hobbled by an injury, the rookie tight end could be in for a big game against a soft Colts pass defense.

James has to step up and provide the Steelers offense with a reliable receiving threat in the middle of the field to take heat off of Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant, while teaming with Markus Wheaton to give Ben Roethlisberger a security blanket should he feel the heat of the Colts pass rush.

Expect James to play a significant role in the redzone where he caught his lone touchdown pass against the Oakland Raiders and added a 2-point conversion against the Seahawks last week.

Prediction: Steelers 36, Colts 23

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This one will come down to quarterback play. Although Hasselbeck has been money for the Colts since taking over for the injured Andrew Luck, he won't be able to keep up with Roethlisberger, who could come close to putting up the numbers he did one year ago.

Pittsburgh clicked on all cylinders offensively last week against the No. 1-ranked secondary in football, in terms of statistics. What could they possibly do to the No. 27-ranked passing defense?

Roethlisberger throws for more than 400 yards for the second straight week but pushes his streak of consecutive games with an interception to six games.

Antonio Brown hauls in double-digit passes and scores twice against the Colts secondary, and the Steelers secondary has a bounce back game, picking off Hasselbeck twice while shutting down the Colts offense for the most part.

At 7-5, the Steelers are right back in the drivers seat in the AFC wild card race with a showdown looming on the road against Cincinnati.

Prediction:  Steelers 36, Colts 23