Do the Colts underpin their playoff ambitions?

Many football fans are asking themselves this weekend why there are two NFL games on Saturday? The answer is simple. Because there are only a few games left in college, the National Football League is taking advantage of the vacated Saturday slot to distort the schedule a little and reach an even larger audience with different kickoff times. We can look forward to a real highlight late on Saturday evening at 10:30 pm German time.

The betting odds on the two-way market already confirm that Indianapolis and Pittsburgh are two teams on an equal footing. In the landmark clash between the Colts and the Steelers, the bet on Indy has slightly lower odds. However, this assessment is not exclusively due to the home advantage, but also to the two recent setbacks suffered by head coach Mike Tomlin’s team

The significance of this encounter also becomes clear when you look at the records. Both teams currently have seven wins and six defeats. A few weeks before the end of the regular season in the NFL, a win against a direct rival would be worth its weight in gold. It is therefore quite possible that the defensive lines in particular will have a hot dance and that a prediction of under points will come true in the Colts vs Steelers duel

Indianapolis Colts – Statistics & current form

Prior to the season, the Indianapolis Colts were the subject of much anticipation, primarily because of Anthony Richardson. The 21-year-old quarterback was drafted fourth overall and was set to usher in a new era in the US state of Indiana. However, the top talent suffered a serious shoulder injury early on and had to be replaced by Gardner Minshew. The backup has done a decent job so far, but was unable to prevent the bitter defeat in the previous week.

After four wins in a row, which put the Colts back in a position to even think about the postseason, Indy lost 14:34 to the Cincinnati Bengals, who were also short of replacements, and missed out on a big point in the race for the playoffs. If they had won, coach Shane Steichen’s team could even have drawn level with the leaders of the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nevertheless, the starting position remains promising, especially as the Raiders, the Falcons and the Texans are the only feasible opponents waiting in the final spurt.

The Colts defense must get pressure on the opposing QB

In order to leave a direct competitor behind, it would be very important to get a win this weekend. To increase the odds, the pass rush in particular needs to perform better than it did the previous week. Against Bengals QB Browning, not a single sack was made, although the Colts are a top three team in the NFL in this category with a total of 43 QB sacks. If they manage to put pressure on the Steelers playmaker Trubisky, who has been weak of late, this could result in game-deciding turnovers.

Offensively, the Colts’ main task will be to establish their running game. This is complicated by the fact that Jonathan Taylor, one of the best running backs, is still out injured. Backup Zack Moss has had a solid season so far, but has only managed around two yards per run several times recently – not enough to open up the playbook and open up the backfield for the powerful Minshew.

Nevertheless, Indy still has a top ten scoring offense (8th), which is mainly carried by wide receiver Michael Pittman. The 26-year-old is regularly sought after and could reach the 1,000+ yard mark this season on Saturday. He has scored four touchdowns so far. Should Pittman carry the egg into the end zone again at Lucas Oil Stadium, great odds of 2.50 can be played between the Colts and Steelers at Bet365.

Key players for the Indianapolis Colts:

• QB: Gardner Minshew
• RB: Zack Moss
• WR: Michael Pittman Jr.
• WR: Josh Downs
• TE: Kylen Granson
• K: Matt Gay

Pittsburgh Steelers – stats & current form

When the hot-blooded Steelers fans loudly demand the substitution of their third quarterback during a game, it quickly becomes clear that there is still a lot wrong offensively. By the way, the quarterback in question is Mason Rudolph, who was met with boos last season. Nevertheless, Steeler Nation is hoping for a swap at the playmaker position, primarily due to the disappointing performances of Mitch Trubisky. With starter Kenny Pickett still missing due to injury, Trubisky, once even selected at number two in the NFL Draft, has so far been unable to get Pittsburgh’s offense going.

However, he is in good company, as even with Pickett, the Steelers offense has been one of the weakest in the league. The Black and Gold are averaging just 16.2 points a game. In six of the past seven matches, they have scored fewer than 21 points. Pittsburgh ranks 27th in the NFL in yards per game, while there are only two teams with a worse pass yards per game than the Steelers, who still have a positive record.

Without the defense, nothing works for the Steelers

The main reason for the very satisfactory season so far is undoubtedly the defense, which is led by one of the best linebackers in the league in TJ Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year has already recorded 14 sacks. On Sunday, however, he may have to do without his congenial partner Alex Highsmith. The outside linebacker had to leave the field the previous week due to a head injury and is now in the NFL’s “Concussion Protocol”.

However, the rest of the defensive line is also impressive. Only six teams allow fewer points than head coach Mike Tomlin’s team. A particular strength is the outstanding turnover differential. Pittsburgh concede few turnovers, but have already picked up 13 interceptions (4th in the league).

However, when the defense doesn’t make the difference, the Black and Gold struggle even against the weakest opponents in the league. On the past two weekends, they lost to New England and Arizona, which led to a sudden change of mood in Steeler Nation. It is hard to imagine that the third-placed team in the AFC North will now get back on track against a stronger opponent. As a precautionary measure, we are therefore refraining from making a prediction on the visitors between the Colts and Steelers.

Key players for the Pittsburgh Steelers:

• QB: Mitch Trubisky
• RB: Najee Harris
• WR: Diontae Johnson
• WR: George Pickens
• TE: Pat Freiermuth
• K: Chris Boswell

Indianapolis Colts – Pittsburgh Steelers head-to-head / H2H record

The Steelers have won all of the last nine meetings in the NFL regular season. The Colts celebrated their last victory over Pittsburgh in 2008. However, the head-to-head should be taken with a pinch of salt, as even last season the quarterbacks faced each other in completely different ways. In the upcoming clash, however, Minshew seems to have the edge over Trubisky.

Indianapolis Colts – Pittsburgh Steelers Tip

It’s one of three matchups in Week 15 featuring two teams with playoff aspirations. The Colts’ game against the Steelers will have a significant influence on the prediction of which of the two AFC runners-up will ultimately make it to the knockout round in mid-January and who will come away empty-handed.

We currently see Indy as slightly stronger in this respect, which is mainly due to the fact that Gardner Minshew is currently doing a much better job as backup QB than Mitch Trubisky, who was even booed by his own fans the previous week. In addition, the home-field advantage and probably slightly better form will swing the pendulum in favor of Steichen’s charges. Indy have won four of their last five matches, while Pittsburgh have suffered two painful defeats against the Patriots and Cardinals

Since we assume that the home side, who are among the top three in the league in pass rush, will be able to put more pressure on the quarterback than they did against the Bengals, we don’t expect a good game from Trubisky and the already weak Pittsburgh offense. The defense is therefore dependent on mistakes by Indianapolis, which they will do everything in their power to prevent.

We therefore believe in a low-scoring game on the one hand, but on the other hand we are pushing the odds for a handicap win for the home side (-1.5) between the Colts and the Steelers.