By admin 
The Indianapolis Colts did several things Sunday that should have won them a road game. They didn’t turn the ball over, held the ball for 32 minutes and got five field goals from Spencer Shrader. They still lost 34-22 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
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The difference came down to touchdowns. Pittsburgh scored four, Indianapolis scored one, and two of the Steelers’ scores came on single plays of 50 yards or more. The Colts are 2-3 heading into a home game against Tennessee after a week that started with questions about whether their turnover problem would sink them in Pittsburgh. Here are four things that stood out.
Field goals can’t keep up with touchdowns
Shrader made kicks of 57, 56, 22, 40 and 28 yards and scored 16 of the Colts’ 22 points. The two short ones came after the offense stalled in the red zone, where Indianapolis went 1 for 3. Tyler Warren’s 1-yard run in the second quarter was the only time the Colts reached the end zone. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, went 2 for 2 in the red zone.
Through four games, the Colts had scored touchdowns on 9 of 12 red-zone trips. When Shrader’s 28-yarder cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 24-22 with 11:42 left, a touchdown on that drive would have put Indianapolis in front.
Jaylen Warren broke the defense twice
Warren finished with 188 yards from scrimmage. His 80-yard touchdown catch came 12 seconds after Shrader’s opening field goal, and his 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put Pittsburgh ahead 24-16.
Take away those two plays, and the Steelers gained 222 yards on their other 52 snaps. The Colts’ defense entered the week 25th in EPA per play, according to Sumer Sports, and plays like those are a major reason why. Aaron Rodgers added three touchdown passes, two of them to Pat Freiermuth.
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Daniel Jones protected the ball but couldn’t finish drives
Jones went 24 of 44 for 266 yards with no interceptions after throwing one in each of the first four games. It was the Colts’ first game without a turnover this season.
He also threw no touchdown passes for the second straight week and averaged 6.0 yards per attempt. Laquon Treadwell caught two of his eight targets. Jones drew a harsh grade from one analyst after Week 3, and a clean game helps. The Colts still need more than field goals from their passing game.
The run game disappeared
The Colts ran 24 times for 66 yards. Jonathan Taylor had 15 carries for 45 yards, both season lows, despite a forecast that pointed to a run-heavy day in the rain. He had at least 19 carries in each of the first four games.
The game script played a part, with Pittsburgh leading the entire second half, but Taylor averaged 3.0 yards per carry and his longest run went for 20. The Colts were plus-0.11 in EPA per rush entering the week, the strength of their offense. It wasn’t there Sunday.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM.