Steelers vs. Colts: What they're saying in Indianapolis after loss

Monday Night Football.

Home game.

And your team just lost to the likes of Kenny Pickett and Benny Snell.

Things are rough this season for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. They’re worse in Indianapolis.

A 24-17 loss and blown second half lead can’t be going over well.

Here’s what they’re saying in Indy:

“A Colts team that has been clinging desperately to playoff hopes now has to face the fact that those hopes are on life support,” wrote Joel A. Erickson of IndyStar. “On the other side of the ball, the Colts gave up 232 yards of total offense and 16 points in the first half, and the only thing that kept it from being worse was Pittsburgh’s tendency to kick field goals in the red zone.”

Related

• Feats of strength: Pickett, reserve RBs, timely defense erase Steelers' shortcomings in win over Colts
• Kenny Pickett guides Steelers past Colts for 1st comeback win

Yes, we’re very familiar with stalled drives and field goals in Pittsburgh. Very familiar.

Erickson’s colleague Nate Atkins had some words of praise for Pickett, the Steelers’ rookie quarterback — sort of.

“Kenny Pickett has had a tough debut as the highest drafted rookie of the class, entering tonight with three touchdowns and eight interceptions,” he wrote. “He showcases the growing pains that can come with a rookie quarterback, and you saw that with some of the pressures he didn’t see coming and the simple offense he ran. But he also made some nice plays, like scrambling to extend drives and throwing effectively on the run, such as with the two-point conversion throw to (wide receiver) George Pickens.”

Also, where was T.J. Watt?

“The Colts did a mostly good job neutralizing T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, one of the top edge tandems in the league that combined for one sack in this one, though it was a costly one from Highsmith against Bernhard Raimann on the final drive,” Atkins wrote.

Fun fact: The Colts had the NFL’s No. 2 rush defense coming into the game.

“But the Steelers have little trouble in gaining 172 yards. Bennie Snell, in relief of the injured Najee Harris, gains 62 yards and scores the fourth-quarter touchdown,” wrote Scott Horner of IndyStar.

Not sure how that happened.

According to SB Nation Stampede Blue, “Monday’s game was the first time Indy’s defense has surrendered more than 20 points to an opponent since their Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars back in October.”

Also, not sure how that happened.

With each Steelers win, the team’s draft position slips a bit. It’s not like they’re going to rally to catch Baltimore or Cincinnati in the AFC North.

Thanks, Indianapolis Colts.