Five things from Steelers-Colts

By: Donny Chedrick
It took a second-half comeback, and a last-second field goal by Chris Boswell, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-2 and remain in first place in the AFC along with a three-game lead in the AFC North. With multiple primetime games ahead for the Steelers, the AFC playoff picture will get hectic as weeks go by. But before that, it's time to take a look at five things from the Steelers win in Indianapolis this past Sunday.
1. Home field advantage on the road?

Photo creds to Pinterest 

It's always considered throughout the league that Steelers' fans travel well, and that proved to be true  at Lucas Oil Stadium. The crowd inside the stadium was near 50/50 with a strong presence of Steeler fans in the upper sections. At one point in the second half, the Colts had to move to a silent snap count, in their own stadium. That is almost unheard-of, but the strong presence of Steeler fans made a noticeable difference in the outcome of the game. With the Steelers inching back into the game in the second half, it seemed that the team picked up some momentum from the fans in the victory.
2. Vintage Ben

Photo creds to ESPN.Com

 Through a good portion of the season, Ben Roethlisberger hasn't been himself, and he even struggled throughout the first half of the game Sunday. But he showed up in the second half and looked like his old self. His ability to elongate the plays led to two Steelers touchdowns and also two plays that helped drive Pittsburgh down the field on the final drive. Ben connected on passes under pressure to Martavis Bryant on a third down, then one to Antonio Brown as he was being tugged to the ground. Ben finished 19 for 31 with 236 yards, two touchdowns and an interception early in the game. Although he has had better performances throughout the season, Sunday people saw a glimpse of vintage Big Ben in the clutch.
3. Play 4 quarters

Photo creds to CBS News

The Steelers have had games like this before where they play down to the level of competition and get caught with a loss. This time, the Steelers looked rough in the first half, but were able to wake up in the last two quarters of the game. The Steelers dominated the 4th quarter and took control of the game. The team yardage was similar, the turnover margin was even, the time of possession was relatively even, but the Steelers were the better team when it mattered.
4. Adapt without Joe Haden

Photo creds to WKYC.Com

Joe Haden has become one of the best impact free agent signings the Steelers have made in a long time. Since starting every game this season, Haden has been a rejuvenated player. According to Pro Football Focus, Haden has the lowest yards allowed per coverage snap of his career at 0.85, which is down tremendously from the past few seasons. Following Haden's injury that will leave him out for at least three weeks, Coty Sensabaugh will be the next man up for Pittsburgh. Sensabaugh had a few gaffes against Indy but was able to make a few nice plays as well. With Haden out, guys like Sensabaugh will need to step out over the next few weeks to keep the Steelers afloat. Sensabaugh will get to make his first start as a Steeler against the team that drafted him, Tennessee, when the Steelers host the Titans Thursday night.
5. Continue to limit opposing runners

Titans runningback DeMarco Murray will be a tough out (photo creds to Lincoln Journal Star)

There were a few times on Sunday when it seemed the Steelers let the Colts' runners go freely down the field, but overall, the Steelers yet again played very well against the run. Frank Gore was the Colts' leading rusher on Sunday with just 54 yards on 17 attempts. Gore was followed by Jacoby Brissett and Marlon Mack, who each added seven yards apiece. As a team, Indianapolis rushed for 71 yards on 29 carries, just 2.4 yards per attempt. That's pretty good for an opposing defense.

At 7-2 with a three-game lead in the AFC North, the Steelers are in a very favorable spot in the AFC playoff picture as the Titans roll into Heinz Field Thursday night. After that, the Steelers will get ready for a few more primetime games against the Packers, Bengals and Ravens all in consecutive weeks. If the Steelers run the gauntlet for the next few weeks, it will set up a showdown when the New England Patriots come to town in mid-December.