Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways in our Steelers Offseason Recall series, revisiting key moments from the 2025 season and how they shaped the year that followed.
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Week 9 of the 2025 season searching for answers. Back-to-back losses had created doubts about the team’s direction, and a matchup against the NFL’s top-ranked offense appeared to be another difficult test.
Instead, Pittsburgh delivered one of its most complete performances of the season.
Facing a 7-1 Indianapolis Colts team led by quarterback Daniel Jones and star running back Jonathan Taylor, the Steelers relied on a dominant defensive effort, timely offense, and complementary football to secure a 27-20 victory at Acrisure Stadium. While the final score suggested a competitive game, Pittsburgh controlled much of the afternoon and reminded everyone why expectations remained high for the second half of the season.
Defense answered the challenge
Much of the pregame discussion centered around Indianapolis. The Colts entered the contest with the league’s highest-scoring offense, Jones was enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, and Taylor had emerged as a leading candidate for Offensive Player of the Year. Some fantasy football auction values were through the roof for Indianapolis, however, the Steelers responded with one of their best defensive performances of the year.
Despite dealing with injuries and absences throughout the lineup, Pittsburgh limited Taylor to just 45 rushing yards on 14 carries while holding him to two receptions for 12 yards. Taylor entered the game averaging 5.9 yards per carry and had scored six rushing touchdowns over his previous three games, making the shutdown even more impressive.
The Steelers accomplished the feat by mixing their defensive looks and creating pressure from multiple angles.
Rather than relying solely on edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith attacking the quarterback on every snap, Pittsburgh varied its approach with stunts, blitz packages, and coverage disguises that kept Jones uncomfortable throughout the afternoon. Jones finished 31-for-50 for 342 yards and one passing touchdown, but much of that production came while attempting to rally from a significant deficit.
Pittsburgh sacked him five times, including strip-sacks by both Watt and Highsmith. Keeanu Benton and Joey Porter Jr. also recorded sacks as the Steelers consistently disrupted Indianapolis’ rhythm.
The defensive performance became even more impressive considering the circumstances. Safeties Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers were unavailable, linebacker Cole Holcomb missed the game due to illness, and Darius Slay battled through multiple injury situations during the contest.
Most importantly, the defense generated six takeaways, including three interceptions, two strip-sacks, and a muffed punt recovery. It marked Pittsburgh’s highest turnover total in a game since 2018 and completely changed the complexion of the matchup.
Turnovers tilted the game
The final statistics painted a misleading picture. Indianapolis finished with more offensive plays, more first downs, more total yards, and won the time-of-possession battle. Yet the Steelers never appeared overwhelmed because they consistently won the turnover battle.
Each takeaway either ended a promising Colts drive or gave Pittsburgh favorable field position. The constant pressure forced Indianapolis to play from behind, allowing the Steelers defense to dictate the flow of the game.
One early muffed punt created another opportunity, although Pittsburgh failed to capitalize with points after turning the possession over on downs. Even so, the repeated mistakes by Indianapolis prevented the league’s top offense from finding any sustained momentum.
By the fourth quarter, the Steelers had built a 24-7 lead and appeared firmly in control.
Rodgers guided an efficient offense
While the defense stole most of the headlines, Aaron Rodgers quietly delivered another efficient performance. Pittsburgh’s offense was not explosive, but it was effective. Rodgers managed the game well, protected the football, and consistently took advantage of favorable situations created by the defense.
Jaylen Warren served as the primary ball carrier and scored two rushing touchdowns. Although he managed only 31 yards on 16 carries, his ability to finish drives proved critical.
Rodgers spread the ball around to nine different receivers, highlighting the balanced nature of Pittsburgh’s attack. Pat Freiermuth caught a touchdown pass while Calvin Austin III, Darnell Washington, Kenneth Gainwell, Jonnu Smith, Kaleb Johnson, D.K. Metcalf, Roman Wilson, and Warren all contributed in the passing game.
The distribution prevented Indianapolis from focusing on any one target and allowed the Steelers to consistently move the chains. Rodgers was sacked three times, but overall he managed the game exactly as Pittsburgh needed him to.
Darnell Washington continued to emerge
One of the more encouraging developments from the victory was the continued growth of tight end Darnell Washington.
Washington played 66 percent of the offensive snaps and became an increasingly important part of the game plan. He finished with four receptions for 43 yards, and three of those catches resulted in first downs.
His impact extended beyond the stat sheet.
Washington also played a key role in a successful fourth-down conversion when Connor Heyward took a direct snap and converted behind a push from the massive tight end. The play illustrated the creative ways Pittsburgh was beginning to utilize Washington’s size and athletic ability.
As the season progressed, performances like this helped establish Washington as a larger part of the offense.
Not perfect, but a reset
The victory was not without mistakes. Joey Porter Jr. committed a costly penalty that extended a Colts drive. Roman Wilson attempted to gain extra yardage while trying to close out the game, only to fumble when Indianapolis knocked the ball loose during a hurdle attempt.
The Steelers also missed an opportunity after Brandin Echols recovered a muffed punt that initially appeared headed for a touchdown. Instead, Pittsburgh started a drive deep in Indianapolis territory and failed to come away with points.
Even special teams produced one of the game’s strangest moments.
Following a fourth-quarter touchdown that gave Pittsburgh a 24-7 lead, Chris Boswell intentionally kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. The decision confused many fans in attendance, but it was a calculated move that took advantage of a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty that had occurred on the extra point attempt. Rather than allowing a return under the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rules, the Steelers accepted the additional penalty and effectively forced Indianapolis to start from its own 25-yard line. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith celebrated the sequence from the sideline, knowing the strategy had worked exactly as intended.
A much-needed statement
The Colts scored 13 fourth-quarter points to make the final score look respectable, but the outcome never truly felt in doubt after Warren’s second touchdown gave Pittsburgh a three-possession lead.
For a team coming off consecutive losses, the performance represented exactly what the Steelers needed. The defense rediscovered its identity. The offense played efficient, mistake-free football. Special teams contributed key moments. Most importantly, Pittsburgh played complementary football for the first time in several weeks.
Many analysts expected the Colts to continue their dominance against a struggling Steelers team. Instead, Pittsburgh delivered one of its most complete victories of the season and reestablished confidence heading into the second half of the year.
The challenge moving forward was turning that reset into sustained momentum. But for one Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers looked like the team many believed they could be all along.
Stay tuned as we revisit each game of the 2025 season with our next edition of 2025 Steelers Offseason Recall.