Stats That Stood Out: Steelers vs. Colts (Preseason Week 3)
After starting off the preseason 2-0, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Indianapolis Colts 19-15 . Let’s take a look at the numbers.
216
The Colts gained 216 total yards of offense in the first half on four drives. The Colts’ quarterbacks, Scott Tolzien and Stephen Morris, combined for 10 completions on 15 attempts (66.7%) and gained 175 yards through the air. The Colts also gained 41 yards on the ground with running back Frank Gore leading the day with 23 yards and a touchdown. Another poor performance by the Steelers defense that could do little to slow down an Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton-less offense.
91.4
In his preseason debut, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 6 passes on 9 attempts (66.7%) for 73 yards and a passer rating of 91.4. With Big Ben at the helm, the offense was able to move down the field with relative ease, but confusion on the offensive line allowed Colts’ outside linebacker John Simon to strip the ball from Ben to stall the Steelers opening drive.
88
The Steelers kickoff and punt coverage teams did their part in allowing only 88 return yards the entire game. The Colts returned 5 kickoffs for 88 yards (17.6 average) while only 1 of Jordan Berry‘s 3 punts were returnable, but thanks to Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Colts gained no yards on the play. The Steelers special teams have been especially special during the preseason, and we can only hope that their success continues when the games start to count.
82
Steelers running back Terrell Watson gained 82 total yards from scrimmage with 40 of them on the ground on eight carries and another 42 yards through the air on four catches. It was an impressive performance that featured a few “truck stick” moments with him running over defenders. Hopefully, he will get a chance to play a substantial amount of snaps in the Steelers final preseason game vs. the Carolina Panthers.
50
The Steelers converted 50% of their third down attempts (7/14). The number itself is impressive, but more so after considering how the Steelers have fared in their two previous preseason games in this particular category:
- Week 1 vs. Giants: 3/13 (23.1%)
- Week 2 vs. Falcons: 2/13 (15.4%)
13:36
The Colts first punt came at 13:36 remaining in the third quarter. In the first half, the Colts scored on three of their four drives (1 touchdown, 2 field goals). Steelers inside linebacker Ryan Shazier halted one drive by intercepting Tolzien. As they did vs. the Falcons last week, the Steelers first-string defense struggled to get off the field and allowed big gains through the air. The “Don’t worry, it’s just the preseason” phrase is holding less weight with each passing week.
5
The Steelers had five penalties for 37 yards, but they were costly. A defensive pass interference on Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell gave the Colts an automatic first down on the one yard line, which they would capitalize on by scoring on the very next play with a Frank Gore run up the middle. The other huge penalty came on the Colts third drive when Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree, making his preseason debut, hit Tolzien late and received a roughing the passer penalty. This infraction added 15 yards on top of the 32 yards that the Colts gained on the Tolzien to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett pass and catch.
2
The Steelers had two turnovers in, what seems to be the theme for this game, costly situations. The first came on the game’s opening drive when Big Ben was strip-sacked and gave the Colts the early momentum. The second turnover happened on a first and goal situation on the Colts one yard line after the Steelers had marched 79 yards down the field. Steelers quarterback Landry Jones threw the pass to rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on a slant, but was intercepted by Colts CB Chris Milton. To his defense, Landry’s arm was hit as he was throwing it and there may have been some confusion with wide receiver Marcus Tucker possibly running the wrong route, but you can’t have those mistakes when you’re knocking on the door.
Were there any stats that stood out to you? Please let us know!
