Steelers rally past Colts to end skid, lock up AFC North

PITTSBURGH – Their once-promising season on the point of a full-out collapse, the Pittsburgh Steelers headed to the locker room for halftime at Heinz Subject on Sunday nonetheless trying to find the workforce that started the season with 11 straight victories.

Ben Roethlisberger believed it was nonetheless in there someplace. Even because the losses in December piled up. Even because the offense spent weeks caught in impartial. Whilst attrition pecked away at one of many NFL’s greatest defenses.

And even because the Steelers spent the primary half in opposition to Indianapolis seemingly in a full-out dash to get to the offseason as rapidly as attainable.

“Generally you want a little bit shock to your self to consider once more,” Roethlisberger stated.

One 39-yard rope from the participant who has symbolized the workforce’s erratic play maybe greater than some other offered that jolt. It revived Pittsburgh’s floundering season and delivered the Steelers the AFC North title.

Listless and lifeless for the higher a part of a month, Roethlisberger threw three second-half touchdowns — starting with a third-quarter strike to a fully horizontal Diontae Johnson — because the Steelers rallied previous shocked Indianapolis 28-24 to win their first division title since 2017.

The 38-year-old Roethlisberger, who seemed each bit his age after which some throughout Pittsburgh’s current slide, snapped out of it whereas finishing 34 of 49 passes for 342 yards. He ditched the dink-and-dunk method that had labored in the course of the early portion of the season however grew to become far too predictable throughout his workforce’s December swoon.

The reward is at the least one dwelling playoff sport. The Steelers (12-3) sported T-shirts that learn “Received Not Completed” throughout a celebration fueled equally by pleasure and reduction. The swag had been on the prepared for a number of weeks solely to be shelved as losses to Washington, Buffalo and, shockingly, Cincinnati piled up.

But head coach Mike Tomlin confused there was no time to panic, believing his workforce was shut.

“It’s a positive line between consuming wine and squashing grapes and typically it was very refined,” Tomlin stated.

Possibly, however the distinction between the workforce that went into the locker room bullied and the one which outscored the Colts 21-0 over the ultimate 18:16 was not. The protection saved Philip Rivers, rookie working again Jonathan Taylor and Indianapolis out of the top zone within the second half. Johnson, who leads the NFL in drops season, sparked the rally with a diving seize as he sailed throughout the objective line.

“We’ve all had our struggles of late,” Tomlin stated. “This can be a fighter’s enterprise. This can be a competitor’s enterprise. I anticipate all to smile within the face of adversity and he did.”

Pittsburgh scored on its subsequent two possessions, a 5-yard flip from Roethlisberger to Eric Ebron and a 25-yard dart in between two defenders from Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Indianapolis, so dominant throughout a primary half wherein it outgained the Steelers 206-28, had two probabilities to reclaim the lead. The primary drive ended with Rivers throwing an interception deep in Pittsburgh territory. The second ended with Rivers’ heave to Zach Pascal crusing excessive on fourth down.

Indianapolis couldn’t have clinched a playoff berth with a victory anyway after Miami and Baltimore received. Nonetheless, it will have made the trail considerably simpler. Now, not a lot.

“We gave them (the Steelers) life,” Rivers stated. “We’ve been on the opposite facet of these. They have been the aggressor because it received to be a 10-point sport, a 3-point sport and I don’t imply that from a play-calling standpoint, it simply had that really feel like ‘oh boy,’ and we have been attempting to hold on.”

Rivers completed 22 of 35 for 270 yards with a landing and a choose. Taylor ran for 74 yards and two touchdowns however principally disappeared over the ultimate two quarters.

“Very dissatisfied,” Indianapolis coach Frank Reich stated. “After we had every thing to play for, we simply didn’t have all of the solutions within the second half of a sport we needed to have. I’m not doubting the coaches or the gamers. We had a foul sport, a foul half and we weren’t in a position to end it off. We’ve received to study from it, get higher subsequent week and get some assist.”

Assist did not look mandatory after Taylor’s two first-half touchdowns in opposition to a protection that seemed overmatched helped the Colts forge a 24-7 lead heading into the ultimate phases of the third quarter.

One throw from Roethlisberger turned the momentum and — the Steelers hope — the arc of their season.

UP NEXT

Colts: finish the season the best way they began, by dealing with the Jaguars. Jacksonville shocked Indianapolis 27-20 in Week 1; Jacksonville hasn’t received since.

Steelers: journey to Cleveland in a sport that’s comparatively meaningless for Pittsburgh however means lots to the Browns (10-5), who’ve but to earn a playoff berth. Tomlin stated he is unsure what number of starters he would possibly sit within the finale.

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