5 Reasons Pittsburgh Steelers Need 3-Touchdown Win Against Indianapolis Colts

The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to reestablish themselves after losing Super Bowl XLV and then dropping their opening contest of 2011 to their biggest rival in utterly unimpressive fashion.

They did some work on repairing their image last week by shutting down the lowly Seattle Seahawks. Dominating a bad team is one way to make people forget bad losses. Stringing together impressive victories is a much better technique.

The Steelers can add to their image with a sound victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. Here’s a look at five reasons they need to finish with a victory margin of three or more touchdowns.

The Colts Offense

If Peyton Manning were running the Colts offense, I’d say the Steelers only needed to defeat Indianapolis, not destroy them in detail. As good as the Steelers have been against Manning, there’s no escaping the fact that the guy is one of the most talented passers in the game’s history.

But Manning isn’t even with the team right now. Kerry Collins is the field general, backed by Curtis Painter (who could start to see time if the Colts continue to fall apart). Collins has had some good games against the Steelers too, but it’s easier to bet against him in a new offense at his age.

With Manning out, the Colts shouldn’t be able to generate much offense against the Steelers defense. The Colts do not boast a rushing attack (which usually doesn’t matter against the Steelers) and their passing game has been utterly anemic since Manning’s injury.

The Colts Defense

I’m not going to argue against Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. They are two of the best defensive linemen in the game and could pose some problems for the Steelers' generally overmatched offensive line.

The Colts don’t defend the pass particularly well and often let running backs roam free. That’s not good news for Indianapolis fans. The Steelers boast a three-headed monster of Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore at running back. They also have Ben Roethlisberger and the league’s best receiving corps.

The Steelers should be able to move the ball at will on the Colts and could put up a ton of points as they continue to fine-tune their offensive system. They also have the versatility to counter anything the Colts can throw at them.

Credibility and Momentum

The Steelers were taken apart by Baltimore in Week 1. As bad as they were then, they were that good in Week 2, shutting out the Seattle Seahawks 24-0 and excelling in every phase of the game.

Against the Colts, the Steelers are at a fork in the road. They’re 1-1. Win and they’ll improve their stock ahead of a big game in Houston against the powerful Texans. Lose and they’ll forfeit all the good will they build up during last week’s game.

This is an important moment in the season. If they win, they’ll have beaten another likely also-ran. You have to win those games. They also can build some momentum and insulate themselves against Week 4. I’m not writing off that game in Houston, but if they won this week and lost next week, they’d at least still be even and in the hunt. If they don’t and fall to 1-3, that’s not going to help matters at all.

This game is all about starting to get on a roll. A blowout against an offensively inept team will go a long way to doing just that.

Confidence on Offense

Beating the Colts by three or more touchdowns is good for the Steelers offense as well. The Steelers haven’t quite shown that full-on dominance on offense. Their defense was the dominating force last week.

A three-touchdown victory means that the offense did its job. Last week, they left quite a few points on the board. That’s never a good thing. They need a big game to get them into a rhythm and be on the same page as their defense.

The Colts will be a good warmup game for the Texans. They’re a better team (marginally) than Seattle, but they don’t have the firepower of Houston’s squad. It’s all about getting yourself ready after a short offseason. The more confident the offense is, the better it will do when the opponents are teams you might see again in the playoffs.

Rest for the Defense

The Steelers defense is going to have its hands full during their Week 4 game against Matt Schaub’s offense. That said, they could use a bit of a break this week in Indianapolis. The Colts aren’t a joke, so a big lead will be the only way to really give them a break.

I’m not saying that the Steelers can sit back with a big lead and just hang on. That would be more counterproductive than losing the game outright. Still, taking some of the pressure off a unit that’s been the biggest reason for the team’s success in recent years is paramount before a big game.

The offense has no excuse not to produce, so the defense should be able to sit back late in the game and play some of the younger guys. That’s good for experience and player rest. It also keeps everyone healthy (hopefully) as they start heading into the middle of the season.