Steelers vs Colts: Indianapolis Shows Guts Against Pittsburgh

Don't be fooled, folks. The fact that the Indianapolis Colts nearly upended the Pittsburgh Steelers at home doesn't mean they're not going to be terrible, much less a half-decent team.

That being said, the Colts aren't as hopeless without Peyton Manning as everyone thought and they will (eventually) win (some) games.

Indy may be bad, but its players are still professionals—grown men who take pride in their performance and who have tasted victory many times before. If nothing else, star veterans like Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis aren't about to roll over and let their opponents simply pencil in victories ahead of time.

This isn't the NBA or even MLB, where guys can dog it and expect a paycheck. To keep your job in the NFL you have to perform up to par, regardless of who you are.

Who the Colts are, without Peyton Manning, is still something of a mystery. Who they are, with Kerry Collins sidelined by a potential concussion and Curtis Painter under center, is an even more dangerous question to answer.

But the cupboard isn't entirely bare. There is plenty for Colts fans to take comfort in from Sunday night's narrow defeat to the defending AFC champions. Ben Roethlisberger's 364 yards passing belies just how much pressure he was under all night. Indy's pass rush hit Big Ben five times, four of which resulted in sacks, and harassed him into two fumbles and an interception. 

It's also easy to forget why Roethlisberger threw the ball as much as he did. The Steelers couldn't muster much of anything on the ground against the Colts' run defense.

Pittsburgh racked up just 67 rushing yards against a young, improving Indy D. Rookie Drake Nevis looked like an absolute keeper with the way he occupied Pittsburgh's offensive linemen and shed blockers all night. Second-year linebacker Pat Angerer looked like a budding star, racking up a game-high 21 tackles alongside fellow sophomore Kavell Conner.

Offensively, there's no getting around how destitute the team is under center. Collins looked lost once again, completing just 13-of-29 for 93 yards.

Of course, Painter didn't look any better, especially after overthrowing a wide-open Pierre Garcon on a play that otherwise would've easily gone for a touchdown.

If the Colts are going to win games, head coach Jim Caldwell would be wise to lean on his team's running game. Joseph Addai has played well thus far, looking nothing like the cold carcass he'd been the previous three seasons.

So has rookie Delone Carter, though he could certainly use more touches.

There are still enough pieces in Indy to win a few games, so long as the defense can keep things close and the running game can eat up clock and score points from time to time. Indy also has the benefit of playing in a weak AFC South, with games against Kansas City, Cincinnati and Carolina also on the docket. 

And if all else fails, the Colts still have their pride to play for, and plenty of it.

Because no group of players that's become so used to winning as have these Colts will allow such futility to stand without first putting up a fight.

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