Colts bracing for another Steelers visit

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

Chuck Pagano has never been one to play by the numbers.

And he’s not starting now.

So rather than remind his players of what happened the last three times Pittsburgh and Indianapolis met, Pagano skipped right through the intros and got down to business.

“I could throw those [game recordings] up there. I mean, those guys know what it is,” Pagano said. “Everybody understands what’s coming to town. We’ve talked about it. You don’t need to beat a dead horse. We’ve got to play better.”

A lot better.

Since taking the Colts’ job in 2012, Pagano, the former Baltimore Ravens coordinator, has faced the Steelers three times. Indy has lost all three by a cumulative score of 124-51, the last two coming by a total of 56 points.

Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown have masterfully dissected the Colts’ secondary, turning potentially competitive games into blowouts. When they get their next shot today, the tale of the tape doesn’t look much better. Indy’s pass defense is ranked No. 31 and the Colts (3-6) cut their top cornerback, Vontae Davis, on Thursday.

But the AFC North-leading Steelers (6-2) haven’t exactly been clicking on all cylinders yet.

While Brown leads the league in receptions (57) and yards (835) and Le’Veon Bell is third in rushing (760 yards), Roethlisberger has thrown 10 touchdown passes, nine interceptions and is ranked among the bottom fourth of the league’s starting quarterbacks.

The bigger problem has come in the red zone, where the Steelers’ are ranked 31st in touchdown percentage at 41.4. The Colts are just ahead of Pittsburgh, which still hasn’t topped the 30-point mark.

“That’s our goal offensively. We haven’t been able to do that yet,” Roethlisberger said. “So, we’d like to do what we can and put as any points as we can on the board because that takes pressure off of our defense.”

What’s the fix?

Perhaps having two weeks to prepare for the Colts. Or maybe just another date in Indianapolis.

“A lot of guys weren’t here for those games and that’s probably a good thing,” safety Darius Butler said. “Personally, they’ve beat up on us a little bit over the last few years, and you play this game for respect.”

The Steelers benched mercurial wide receiver Martavis Bryant against Detroit, punishment for a social media outburst that included a shot at rookie teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster. Bryant will likely return to the lineup in some fashion against the Colts. That’s not a terrible idea because Bryant has nine receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns in two games against Indy. Smith-Schuster took advantage of Bryant’s absence by catching seven passes for 193 yards and a score in a win over the Lions.