Colts vs. Steelers: Indianapolis Grades, Notes and Quotes

Midnight had to come eventually for the Cinderella story that was Matt Hasselbeck’s undefeated start to the season, but few could have foretold the nightmare that followed.

Coming apart at the seams, Indianapolis fell to 6-6 on the year with a 45-10 defeat in Pittsburgh as Hasselbeck lost his first game of the season.

Pittsburgh’s offense was unstoppable on the night, both on the ground and through the air, with Ben Roethlisberger having his pick of receivers and an unlimited amount of time in the pocket while running back DeAngelo Williams complemented him perfectly with more than 100 yards.

Most expected the Steelers to put up a lot of points, but the Colts offense struggling like it did was a surprising development. Wasting a strong game from Frank Gore, Indianapolis had its lowest point total since week two and did not look like the same team that had won three straight games.

Houston also lost earlier in the day so Indianapolis maintains its grip on the AFC South, which is huge with its next four games coming against all three division opponents. But it will be tough washing out the bad taste the team has in its mouth after the walloping the Steelers handed them.

Let’s take a look at some of the developments coming out of the Colts' most lopsided loss of the season.

Position Grades for Indianapolis

Don Wright/Associated Press

Quarterbacks: C-

It is still tough to argue against Matt Hasselbeck being the MVP for the Colts so far this season with his four wins as a starter the difference between top of the division and bottom. But Sunday was not his day.

Poor decisions and missed throws marred the early game for Hasselbeck, and the Steelers had an insurmountable lead by the early fourth quarter. There wasn’t much Hasselbeck could do to improve the Indianapolis defense, but in a game where the veteran was supposed to put up huge numbers, he largely fell flat.

Running Backs: B+

Losing Ahmad Bradshaw was supposed to hurt the Colts when it came to incorporating the running backs into the passing game, but somebody forgot to tell Frank Gore that.

Although he understandably struggled on the ground against an elite rush defense, the veteran back was fantastic on his routes and was Indianapolis’ strongest weapon in the receiving game for large stretches of the night.

Wide Receivers: D+

Both Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton were coming off of huge games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and against a bad Steelers pass defense, the same was expected Sunday.

But instead, the two were both anonymous throughout and the Colts offense struggled because of it. Combining for one catch for 10 yards in the first half, things were better after the break. But two receivers of Moncrief and Hilton’s caliber should be much more involved than they were in a game of this magnitude.

Tight Ends: D

If someone sees the Colts' tight ends out and about on the streets of Pittsburgh, call Chuck Pagano because apparently they didn’t bother to show up to the game.

Coby Fleener made a few catches, but nothing of note and nothing that made an impact, while Dwayne Allen might have been better served not even attending the game with the lack of impact he had. There is so much talent at wide receiver for Indianapolis, but neither player can seem to get anything going this year.

Offensive Line: B

For all of the struggles Indianapolis went through against the Steelers, the unit that has given the team the most trouble all year was, by far, the best on the field as the offensive line played another good game.

Overall, the pressure on Hasselbeck was down compared to earlier weeks in the year, and the Colts seem to have found a unit that could have some success moving forward. As long as the rest of the offense can get things going, the line's improvement could be a huge step forward for Indianapolis.

Defensive Line: C

There was so much hope coming out of the Tampa Bay game that the Indianapolis pass rush had finally found its groove and would be able to keep things up against the Steelers. Turns out those hopes were totally misguided.

Against the Steelers, the Colts pass rush was nonexistent throughout, giving Ben Roethlisberger far too much time to pick his targets and embarrass the Indianapolis secondary as well.

Linebackers: B-

D’Qwell Jackson has played at a Pro Bowl level all season long. He isn’t great in coverage, but as a run stopper and tackler, there are few playing as well as he is right now in the NFL.

That being said, the rest of the Colts linebackers struggled to make themselves known against the Steelers. Robert Mathis was given a huge opportunity to impact the game and failed, and Erik Walden couldn’t match his performance against the Buccaneers. It has been a one-man show for Indy at linebacker all year, and Sunday was no exception.

Defensive Backs: C-

Roethlisberger has shown throughout his career an uncanny ability to make defensive backs look silly, so the performance of the Colts secondary has to be taken with a grain of salt. But that doesn’t mean it was a good night for the team’s defensive backs.

Greg Toler didn’t play nearly as badly as he has in recent weeks but still had trouble keeping pace with the bigger Pittsburgh receivers. Vontae Davis struggled at times against one of the league’s best receivers in Antonio Brown.

Special Teams: B-

Another week, another pretty much flawless performance from the Indianapolis Colts special teams. Adam Vinatieri was perfect on the night again, and Pat McAfee sent his fair share of booming punts to push the Steelers back in the field position battle.

Coaching: C

The Colts attempted to do all of the right things against the Pittsburgh Steelers—lots of passing and an attempt at pressuring the quarterback—but Indianapolis was simply second-best on the night. And there wasn’t much the coaching staff could do about it.

Matt Hasselbeck Isn’t Unbeatable

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

It was a great run, but Matt Hasselbeck’s undefeated streak with the Indianapolis Colts this season is no more.

Gifted an early opportunity to take the lead after a miscue on Pittsburgh's opening kick return, Hasselbeck missed a wide-open Andre Johnson, who might have scored, and then proceeded to throw an interception on the very next play. A few drives later, he doubled his interception total for the game and set up a field goal for the Steelers.

Although his numbers weren’t atrocious, the veteran quarterback was expected to have a huge performance against a brutal Steelers pass defense. But he struggled throughout, failing to live up to expectations before being ruled out late in the fourth with an injury.

With the news that Andrew Luck is getting closer to returning after missing a few weeks—although he will likely miss next Sunday’s game against Jacksonville—Hasselbeck missing time could be a big blow especially with Charlie Whitehurst the next option. But it does sound like Hasselbeck will be back by next week.

Hasselbeck has done so much for the team this year, but against Pittsburgh he wasn’t able to get much of anything going, costing the Colts any chance at pulling ahead of Houston in the win column.

Colts Have Perfect Timing

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

Bear with me for a moment while we take a look back at the Indianapolis Colts season in terms of winning and losing streaks. The Colts started the season with two losses, won three straight, lost three straight and won three straight before falling against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

This year Indianapolis has been fantastic at capturing momentum from a single game, winning two more and then falling flat after the fans started to gain some hope for the remainder of the season and beyond.

But while the Colts pair of three-game winning streaks might be fun little footnotes for the season as a whole, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Indianapolis has timed its wins and losses well in terms of a quest for a playoff berth.

The first streak came against AFC South opponents, which is the only reason the Colts are in first place in the division right now, and the second came as Houston was putting together a four-game run of its own.

Although Indianapolis won’t be pleased with the ugly defeat against the Steelers, there is a silver lining to it in that the Texans lost to the Bills earlier in the day, meaning the Colts remain at the top of the AFC South.

Lack of Pass Rush the Biggest Issue for Indianapolis

Don Wright/Associated Press

The biggest issue facing the Indianapolis Colts all year has alternated back and forth between the struggling offensive line and the porous secondary. But after 12 games, these two mainstays have been displaced at the top of the rankings by the Colts pass rush or lack thereof.

Ben Roethlisberger is a quarterback who has made his career off of avoiding pressure and making big throws. But against the Colts he didn’t have to work any of his magic because there wasn’t any pressure to avoid.

Indianapolis showed signs of life against the Buccaneers, getting heaps of pressure on Jameis Winston that led to five sacks and the Colts' best defensive performance of the season. But Sunday saw a revert to the team that couldn’t buy a sack, and Indianapolis suffered because of it.

If Roethlisberger is given too much time in the pocket, he can pick a defense apart, and did so against the Colts, placing balls perfectly time and again in the blowout win.

As much as the secondary has struggled this season, it is hard to place all the blame there given the poor performance of the pass rush. With such little pressure on the quarterback, it is hard to imagine any set of defensive backs in the league playing well. The Colts need to figure out a solution quick.

Chuck Pagano on the Big Loss

Don Wright/Associated Press

There aren’t many ways to dissect Sunday night’s game between the Steelers and the Colts without coming to the same conclusion: Pittsburgh was the better team.

On offense, defense, special teams, it really didn’t matter as the Steelers dominated Indianapolis in convincing fashion en route to a 35-point victory. Colts coach Chuck Pagano acknowledged this fact after the game and offered a curt analysis of the performance, per Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star: "Just kicked our ass. Period."

According to Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central, Pagano did elaborate on his statements later but the message was the same. Pittsburgh deserved to win the game: "Couldn't get anything going offensively, big plays on defense. We got beat thoroughly in all three phases. It stinks, it stings."

Matt Hasselbeck on Missed Opportunities

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

The game started off better than anyone could have dreamed of for the Indianapolis Colts, with a fumble on the opening kickoff handing them the ball in the red zone right off the bat. But that drive turned into an interception, and the precedent was set for a night of missed chances.

After the game Matt Hasselbeck acknowledged that the team failed to take advantage of the opportunities they were given and struggled to dig themselves out of a hole, according to Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central: "They gave us opportunities. I had interception. Terrible. Didn't capitalize. Didn't handle their blitz early."

Against a team like the Steelers who can score at will, taking chances when they are given is key and the Colts largely failed to do so Sunday, falling to 6-6 on the season and barely in first place in the AFC South.

Chuck Pagano and Matt Hasselbeck on QB's Injury

Fred Vuich/Associated Press

Sunday Night was a largely forgettable performance for Matt Hasselbeck, who started to show his age despite an unbelievable undefeated run to start the season.

Suffering through his worst performance of the year must have been tough, but late in the fourth quarter things got worse for the veteran. He had to sit out the final minutes of the defeat with a shoulder and neck injury. Things did get better after the game though, with Chuck Pagano saying it wasn’t too serious, according to Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star: "Chuck Pagano says Matt Hasselbeck "should be OK." Sounds like he'll start next week in Jax."

Later in the news conference, Hasselbeck confirmed he received x-rays, and he suffered a few hits that caused the neck injury, per Dave Furst of WRTV-6 in Indianapolis: "Hasselbeck says he received X-rays. A "neck-ish" injury. Took two hits to the same area. Felt his head was "compressed" into his neck."

It sounds like Hasselbeck will be able to go against Jacksonville. But if he is forced to miss, it could be detrimental to the Colts, who will be without Andrew Luck for at least another game.