INDIANAPOLIS -- In order for the Steelers to avoid a dreadful 3-8 record, they would have to win enough battles on both sides of the ball.
On defense, things couldn't have started any better, and it was ultimately enough to escape Monday Night Football at Lucas Oil Stadium with a 24-17 victory over the Colts. But, as it typically is with this team, they were going to be tested until the very end.
"Just resiliency," T.J. Watt said. "When our backs are against the wall, we got to be able to perform. We pride ourselves on wanting to be out there as a defensive group to finish the game and I’m glad we did."
For the first half of the game, it sure didn't look like anything was going to come down to wire. The Steelers nearly intercepted Matt Ryan's first pass of the game, then James Pierre jumped the route and dove in front of the intended receiver and picked off Ryan's second pass of the game.
Even when the Colts tried to include more of Jonathan Taylor, the defense did a decent enough job bottling him up and keeping him from getting Indianapolis back in the game. In addition, the Colts were unable to sustain any drives, as the Steelers' defense held them to only one conversion on five third down attempts in the first half.
Not only did the defense hold the Colts to a mere 44 yards on the ground in the first half, Ryan didn't complete his first pass of the game until more than halfway through the second quarter, and it took a running back screen to Taylor to finally record a completion.
All the Colts could muster in the first half was a 51-yard field goal, and the Steelers went into the locker room with a 16-3 advantage.
"I thought they did a good job in the first half of giving us situationally a few different things from what we had seen, and credit to them," Ryan said. "Mike (Tomlin) has been in this league a long time. He's a hell of a coach and awesome on the defensive side of the ball, and they did a good job early on.
But, just as it was one week ago, the defense was unable to repeat their first half success. Only this time, a special teams play sparked some life into the Colts, and it drastically flipped the tide of the game.
Dallis Flowers returned the opening kick of the second half 89 yards to the Pittsburgh 19-yard line. That one play swung all the momentum in the Colts' favor, and they capitalized four plays later with a 2-yard touchdown run by Taylor to pull within six.
In addition, the Colts finally figured a way to get Taylor more involved, and he hurt the Steelers on the ground and in the air in the second half.
"I feel like they came out and they were able to establish the run, so I feel like we didn't play that as good in the second half," Alex Highsmith said. "On the drives that they did score, Jonathan Taylor was running the ball really good. So, we just can't ease up in that aspect, because I felt like we shut down the run very well in the first half. So, we just have to play a full game when it comes to that."
But, in addition to the Colts having success with Taylor on the ground, Ryan found a rhythm through the air. Going into the game, it seemed as if the Steelers were going to be able to wreak havoc on Ryan throughout. After all, the Colts entered the game giving up more sacks than any other team in football.
However, in speaking with players after the game, there was a sense around the locker room that preparing for a quarterback as immobile as Ryan is actually more difficult to deal with. These guys are so used to preparing for quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, previously Baker Mayfield and now Deshaun Watson. These are all quarterbacks that can hurt defenses with their legs, and the Steelers train for that more often than not.
That, along with Ryan's experience, allowed plays like this to develop. Sometimes, all it takes is that subtle move forward to turn a potential sack or incompletion into a big play:
That 28-yard completion to Jelani Woods set up the Colts with first and goal at the 7-yard line, and Ryan found Michael Pittman Jr. for a touchdown two plays later to take a 17-16 lead.
Nope. No way. There was no way the Steelers were going to let yet another game get away in the second half.
It's one thing when Watt is out with an injury. But, he's been back for the third game in a row now. And, even since he's returned, he has yet to impact the game in the box score. That remained the same as Watt was held to three tackles and only one quarterback hit Monday night.
But, when the offense overcame their anemic start to the second half and scored a touchdown to regain the lead with less than 10 minutes to go, the defense played with a much higher level of intensity and came back with a critical stand.
Immediately after the Steelers' touchdown, the defense snuffed out a short pass to Taylor and held him to only one yard. Then Arthur Maulet sacked Ryan for a 5-yard loss and Minkah Fitzpatrick made a great play on Pittman immediately after the catch to tackle him well short of the sticks to force a three-and-out.
After the Steelers were forced to punt, the defense was once again asked to step up, and needed every ounce of that resiliency Watt spoke of when Ryan completed a 28-yard pass to Pittman from their own 7-yard line. The Colts went into their four-minute offense to try and balance a move down the field while also bleeding as much clock as possible in hopes of scoring a touchdown and taking the game into overtime.
With a third and 6 on the Steelers' 40-yard line, Ryan hit Pittman for what could have been a first down, but Fitzpatrick read the play well ahead of when the ball got to Pittman and made this sensation tackle to force a fourth and 3:
But, Ryan was able to connect with Pittman once again, completing a three-yard pass on fourth and 3 to extend the drive.
Instead of rolling over and giving up, Highsmith immediately stepped up and made the play this defense needed more than anything in that moment:
"Incredible," Watt said of Highsmith. "To go out and close out a game like that as a rusher, it's awesome. Something we need more."
That backed the Colts up. Then, after some questionable clock management by Jeff Saturday to allow the clock to tick down to about 30 second left, Cam Sutton and Fitzpatrick put the final nail in the coffin to seal the victory:
Fitzpatrick showing up in a big way on the final drive is something the Steelers should expect. When he signed his contract this past offseason, it made him the highest-paid safety in the league (until Derwin James later signed his deal).
But, when Watt -- who is probably playing at less than 100 percent -- isn't able to impact the game, having others step up and make plays is necessary for a defense to be successful.
Highsmith's sack of Ryan was his 10th of the season. In a year that's had its fair share of trials and tribulations, Highsmith's emergence as a consistent and disruptive player on this defense is a wonderful development. And that gives the Steelers a great pair of edge rushers for as many years as they want.
"Alex is legit. I think everybody knows that," Tomlin said. "But at the same time, it's good to have old 90 (T.J. Watt) on the opposite side of you. I think that helps."
As the Steelers continue on, wins will certainly be a priority for this team. While the offense will be given some sort of leeway due to the number of younger plays in key positions, a defense that costs $108 million will not be given the same treatment -- especially when Tomlin is the head coach. He's a defensive guy, and he's always harder on that side of the ball.
Even with the improved success against the run this season, the overall performance from the defense has been far below the standard. Doing their part in helping stack wins is critical for both short-term and long-term success.
"We have to," Watt said. "Plain and simple, we have to."