Biggest Takeaways from Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 13 Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers were in a must-win situation on Sunday night, hoping to remain in the running for an AFC playoff berth. And win they did, defeating the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 45-10. It was the kind of victory that should have left their four remaining opponents and any would-be postseason challengers very nervous.

After a game that big, there are some equally big takeaways. Here's what we learned following the Steelers' defeat of the Colts in Week 13.

Return of Fierce Defensive Front

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Pittsburgh's pass rush has been far better this year than it was a season ago, when the team totaled only 33 sacks. But it's been inconsistent. In the team's previous three games, the Steelers totaled eight sacks—zero on Oakland's Derek Carr, six on Cleveland's Johnny Manziel and two on Seattle's Russell Wilson.

And the defensive front's ability to stop the run has also been inconsistent, with the Raiders totaling 139 rushing yards, the Browns a mere 15 and then the Seahawks 100. But on Sunday night, both elements came together and helped hold the Colts to only 10 points scored.

The Steelers defense had five sacks in the game, two on Matt Hasselbeck and three more on backup Charlie Whitehurst. Linebacker James Harrison led the way with three, while safety Will Allen and linebacker Arthur Moats added one apiece. The defense also had seven additional quarterback hits in the game.

Additionally, the Colts managed only 54 rushing yards on 18 attempts, with a 12-yard run by back Frank Gore their longest of the night. Pittsburgh's front seven came up big on Sunday night. If they keep it up, this defense can match the offense in explosiveness, making this a well-rounded, high-performing team.

Brandon Boykin's Big Day

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Steelers cornerback Brandon Boykin saw the most playing time he had all season on Sunday night, an expected development, given how Pittsburgh's secondary has been performing recently. He played 42 of a possible 60 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, working in the slot when the Steelers were in their nickel defense.

Boykin said after the game, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Adamski, "I knew once I got on the field, I would make plays." And that he did. He picked off Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the first quarter, which led to a Steelers field goal, and while he allowed two receptions on three targets for 49 yards, he allowed no touchdowns and defended a pass.

His performance should solidify him as the Steelers' slot cornerback going forward. It took a lot longer than anticipated, but Boykin finally saw the field and justified the Steelers using a fifth-round 2016 draft pick to snag him from the Philadelphia Eagles during the summer.

Markus Wheaton Is No Shrinking Violet

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It wasn't a repeat of his Week 12 performance, but Steelers receiver Markus Wheaton did not fade back into the woodwork against the Indianapolis Colts. Coming off of a nine-catch, 201-yard day against the Seattle Seahawks, Wheaton had three catches on six targets for 50 yards and a score on Sunday.

Wheaton has now caught 28 passes on the season, for 524 yards and a career-best three touchdowns. He had a 27-yard grab and his touchdown reception to close the first half of the game gave the Steelers a 21-10 lead over the Colts that Indianapolis never managed to shrink.

Fifty yards may not be all that impressive, given the 118 (and two scores) and the 114 (and one score) put up by Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant, respectively. But his presence has spread defenses thin, making him an important role player in Pittsburgh. It's unlikely Brown and Bryant would have put up such impressive numbers without Wheaton in the game, and that alone is reason to point out his contributions. 

DeAngelo Williams Continues to Have It

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After Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams' huge Week 9 performance against the Oakland Raiders, in which he ran 27 times for 170 yards and two scores and caught two passes for 55 yards, he mostly fell silent.

He had only 54 yards on 17 carries against the Cleveland Browns in Week 10 and then just 29 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks (though he did pull down seven passes for 88 yards). It seemed that maybe Williams, as a runner, had perhaps slowed down.

But any concerns about that were brushed aside with his performance against the Colts. Williams rushed 26 times for 134 yards and caught five passes on six targets for 31 more. Williams continues to do more than simply fill in for the injured Le'Veon Bell. He appears to be a perfect replacement for Bell's production as a runner and receiver.

Any given running back will have both good and bad games. That's the only explanation for Williams' two relatively slow weeks prior to Sunday night's performance. He's a bell-cow back at 32 years old, and his odds-defying 2015 season has been just what the Steelers needed. 

Playoff Potential

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The Steelers needed to defeat the Colts to remain relevant in the AFC playoff discussion. And while the victory only slightly improved their standing—they are now the conference's seventh seed, one spot out of a wild-card berth—a loss would have absolutely worsened it.

The Steelers are currently staring up at the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. All three teams are 7-5, but because the Jets and Chiefs have defeated more AFC opponents than Pittsburgh, they get the edge. The good news? All four of the Steelers' remaining games are against AFC teams—the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.

So do the Chiefs, but the Jets have the NFC East's Dallas Cowboys on their slate. While the Steelers don't need to win out to get in, they wouldn't be in such good shape if they had fallen to the Colts on Sunday night. Their destiny, as far as the postseason is concerned, remains in their own hands for now.