Sunday Night Football Week 13: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Colts vs. Steelers

For the second week in a row, Sunday Night Football won't feature the quarterback matchup those in charge of making the schedule had in mind.

That won't stop the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers from putting on a classic.

Last week the league had designs for a Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning showdown, but the latter couldn't give it a go. The game still produced an epic overtime affair worthy of the national spotlight.

This week the globe won't get Andrew Luck vs. Ben Roethlisberger, instead having to settle for Matt Hasselbeck vs. Big Ben. Alas, Hasselbeck happens to sit at 4-0 as a starter this year at the age of 40, making for quite the underrated quarterback battle.

Here's a look at everything you need to know about the critical AFC affair.

Game Details

When: Sunday, December 6, 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh

Television: NBC

Live Stream: NFL Game Pass

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 49.5

Spread: Pittsburgh (-8)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Position	Status
Phillip Dorsett	WR	Out
Mike Adams	S	Probable
Jerrell Freeman	LB	Out

Player	Position	Status
Ben Roethlisberger	QB	Probable
Ryan Shazier	LB	Probable
Martavis Bryant	WR	Probable
Heath Miller	TE	Questionable

Airing it Out 

Whispers of a quarterback controversy in Indianapolis might be unfounded, but it's not hard to see why they might crop up. 

Luck sits at 2-7 as a starter this year while Hasselbeck has the undefeated mark. Over the team's last two outings, the 40-year-old has four touchdowns to two interceptions with impressive wins against Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

"Obviously, at his age, being 4-0 as a backup quarterback it's great for us," coach Chuck Pagano said, according to ESPN.com. "We're very, very fortunate and I just hope he keeps it going."

It seems the veteran continues to squeeze the absolute most out of his weapons in an offense tailored more toward his short-passing preference. Last week alone, Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton combined for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

Call it the best avenue for upending the Steelers, owners of a defense with the league's third-worst mark at 283.6 passing yards allowed per game on average.

Then again, the Colts defense isn't much better sitting ranked 27th in the same regard. If Hasselbeck is to hit 5-0 and keep his team right in the thick of things in the AFC South, he's going to need to use the short passing game to control the pace of this one on the road and limit his defense's exposure. 

Finding Balance 

Big Ben will need to employ much of the same approach as his veteran counterpart to keep his team relevant in the AFC playoff picture.

It would help, though, if the Steelers found a way to better run the ball against a Colts defense allowing 115.1 rushing yards per game. Since a 170-yard outburst three games ago, starting back DeAngelo Williams has outputs of 54 and 29 rushing yards, respectively.

Roethlisberger could certainly use the insurance after an odd weeklong saga concerning his health after he self-reported a head injury that had his status in question this week before receiving a probable tag, as seen above.

Regardless, he shouldn't have many problems moving the ball through the air if necessary. Antonio Brown struggled with six catches for 51 yards in a 39-30 loss to Seattle last week, but Markus Wheaton stepped up with nine catches for 201 yards and a score, showcasing the unit's depth when Roethlisberger has time to work through his progressions.

Considering the Colts have just 19 sacks on the year and this one goes down in Pittsburgh, spreading it out shouldn't be a problem. This should lead to wide-open running lanes, too, which will go a long way in keeping a very exploitable defense off the field.

Prediction

John Froschauer/Associated Press

Indianapolis has had it rather easy the past couple of weeks against shaky offenses.

Not so this time around.

Pittsburgh has posted 30 or more points in three consecutive games, a rather predictable turn of events after the offense looked so lethal early on before Big Ben's first injury.

Roethlisberger at home here against a struggling defense sounds as obvious as it is. The cold weather will keep the total down, but in an offensive-minded affair, the edge goes to the home team with the more dangerous quarterback. Hasselbeck's limited field in a noisy environment means he won't be able to keep pace late in the contest.

Look for the Steelers to pull away late on a few big plays from one of the league's deepest set of passing weapons. 

Prediction: Steelers 27, Colts 20

Statistics and injury information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.