INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts would gladly play with 12 players on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers if they could.
That’s understandable when you consider that Pittsburgh’s three most recent victories against the Colts have come by 21, 35, and 17 points.
Of course, teams can’t play with 12 players on the field, so the Colts (3-6) will have to find another way to get a victory Sunday against the visiting Steelers (6-2).
Here are three areas of the game to watch:
Get Hilton the ball: The Colts have success when receiver T.Y. Hilton has a significant role in the offense. Hilton is averaging 168.3 receiving yards in their three wins this season. He’s averaging just 32.8 in their six losses.
It’s going to be tough for quarterback Jacoby Brissett to get the ball to Hilton on Sunday, however. The Steelers are only giving up 180 passing yards a game, good for second in the league. Hilton has 12 receptions for 245 yards and a touchdown in three career meetings with Pittsburgh.
“We’ve got to get him the ball and give him an opportunity to make plays,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “When he does, good things happen. Whether it’s him or anybody else, we’re not going to be able to just run up and down the field on a top-five defense in the league coming in here. You’ve got to invest in the body blows. We go as he goes. There’s no mystery to it.”
Don’t forget about defense: So much of the credit for Pittsburgh’s success has rightfully gone to its offense in recent seasons. In 2017, though, the defense deserves some love on the strength of its No. 5 overall ranking.
The Colts are coming off a game against Houston in which they had 371 yards of total offense, their second-highest total of the season. The key for Indianapolis will be scoring: Pittsburgh is 0-2 when allowing 20 or more points this season.
“[Defensive coordinator] Keith Butler does a great job with them,” Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said. “Real challenges up front. They pressure, give you a lot of different looks. Those guys are run-and-hit guys, excellent players. They’re solid in the secondary. They play that scheme real well. It’ll be a heck of challenge for us.”
Facing the best: The Colts held Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green to three receptions for 27 yards in Week 8. They limited Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins to six catches for 86 yards in Week 9. And now Indy's young secondary get to face Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who leads the NFL in receiving yards with 835.
The Colts will start Rashaan Melvin and Pierre Desir on the outside at cornerback and Nate Hairston at the slot. Brown’s supporting cast at receiver includes JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant. The Colts know the Steelers are going to get plays in the passing game, so it's a matter of limiting the damage.
“Any time you can do a great job and hold those [Green and Hopkins] down, it builds confidence for the next one,” Pagano said. “We haven’t fared well, it’s well documented, against this group and against [Brown] and all the rest of the guys. It’s a great challenge. It’s a great opportunity. They’re fired up for it. They’re not going to shy away. Believe me. They’re going to play aggressive. They’re going to play smart. They’re going to compete.”