With six 7-6 teams knocking on the door in the AFC playoff race, the Colts’ home matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Saturday has plenty of postseason vibes to it. Especially since both teams currently hold a wild card spot that would put them each in the playoffs, if the season ended today.
As Colts running back Jonathan Taylor’s status is still up in the air this weekend after having missed the past two games recovering from thumb surgery, head coach Shane Steichen is optimistic the 24-year-old will return sometime before the end of this season.
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner logged a limited practice on Wednesday and remains questionable heading into Saturday as he deals with a back injury.
Meanwhile, head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers will be without quarterback Kenny Pickett (ankle) for a second straight week. Mitchell Trubisky, who’s thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions in four games this season, will start.
With Pittsburgh coming off a dismal performance against the New England Patriots last week, the Steelers also rank in the bottom ten of the entire league averaging just over 16 points per game.
Boding well for the Steelers, however, is the return of Defensive Player of the Year candidate T.J. Watt, who has notched 14 sacks in 13 games this season. How efficient the Colts are at containing the 29-year-old linebacker will be a critical factor in Saturday afternoon’s outcome.
As this will be the seventh time both teams have met in the past ten seasons, the Colts are currently riding an eight-game losing streak against Pittsburgh, having not beaten the Steelers since 2008.
Since facing adversity following the loss of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson over two months ago, this weekend’s game presents an ideal opportunity for the Colts to solidify itself as a legitimate contender this season and match its best record (8-6) since the 2021 season.
Saturday afternoon’s game kicks off at 4:30pm. Indianapolis will be donning its historic 1950s throwback uniforms as a tribute to the franchise’s celebrated history.
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