Whatever it takes.
That quote is synonymous with Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll, who said that on numerous occasions during Pittsburgh's run of four Super Bowl wins in six years during the 1970s. While the current day Steelers aren't expected to add to the team's collection of Super Bowl hardware this season, their recent ability to do "whatever it takes" to win games has them at 4-4 at the midseason mark after a 1-4 start to the season.
Like the majority of their 2019 season to date, Pittsburgh's 26-24 win over the visiting Colts wasn't pretty. The Steelers failed to throw for 200 yards or rush for over 100 yards while surrendering three touchdown passes from Colts backup quarterback, Brian Hoyer -- who was forced into action. But in the end, the Steelers -- aided by two missed kicks by Adam Vinatieri -- were able to win their third consecutive games while getting to within 1.5 games of the Ravens in the AFC North division race.
Why the Steelers won
Pittsburgh's 17 points off of three turnovers was one of the biggest reasons why the Steelers won their sixth consecutive game over the Colts. Trailing 10-3 and with the Colts threatening to score yet again, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off Hoyer and raced 96 yards to tie the game in the second quarter. Late in the third quarter, after Justin Houston's sack of Mason Rudolph in the end zone trimmed Pittsburgh's lead to 20-18, Chester Rogers' fumble on the ensuing kickoff set up a Chris Boswell field goal that pushed the Steelers' lead back up to five points.
Boswell was also huge, making all four of his field goal attempts that included his game-winning, 33-yard attempt with 6:49 left. Pittsburgh's offense, a unit that received boos from the home crowd several times throughout the game for its conservative play-calling, also came up with several key plays while playing solid, complementary football.
Led by Rudolph (who went 26-of-35 on Sunday), running backs Trey Edmunds (73 yards on 12 carries that included a 45-yard run that set up Boswell's first field goal) and Jaylen Samuels (whose 13 catches broke Le'Veon Bell's single-game franchise record for most catches by a running back) and receiver James Washington, the Steelers responded with three scoring drives immediately after the Colts' offense had scored. Pittsburgh also put together an 11-play, 54-yard scoring drive that ended a Rudolph touchdown pass to tight end Vance McDonald after Bud Dupree's sack and forced fumble ended the Colts' first drive of the second half.
Speaking of Pittsburgh's defense, the unit's five sacks -- that included two by Dupree and 1.5 from T.J. Watt -- along with several timely pass breakups by Joe Haden, contributed to the win.
Why the Colts lost
While Hoyer put forth a tremendous effort following Brissett's loss, the Colts were not able to overcome the loss of both Jacoby Brissett and T.Y. Hilton (ruled out before the game), the Colts' talented Pro Bowl receiver who was inactive due to his lingering calf injury. While running back Marlon Mack (21 carries for 89 yards) receivers Zach Pacal (five catches, 76 yards, and a touchdown) and rookie Parris Campbell (80 total yards on eight touches) had their moments, Indianapolis sorely missed having Hilton, particularly during a second half that saw Indianapolis come up empty on six of their seven possessions after not punting once during the game's first 30 minutes.
The Colts' defense, a unit that did set up five of the team's 24 points, was also unable to keep any momentum gained by their offense following scoring drives. As mentioned above, the Colts allowed three scoring drives immediately after watching their offense score. The biggest letdown occurred when Indianapolis allowed a 40-yard completion from Rudolph to Washington that set up Boswell's game-winning kick just moments after the Colts took the lead on Hoyer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Rogers.
Two penalties also played a role in the Colts' first loss in four games. An unnecessary roughness call on Darius Leonard on the second-to-last play of the first half set up Boswell's second field goal that cut Pittsburgh's halftime deficit to 16-13. A pass interference penalty on cornerback Marvel Tell -- two plays after Rudolph's 40-yard throw to Washington -- put Boswell in much closer range to attempt his game-winner.
The Colts' special teams also played a roll in the loss. Along with his missed game-winning field goal attempt, Vinatieri also missed his second point-after attempt. Late in the third quarter, after Houston sacked Rudolph in the end zone for a safety, Rogers' fumble on the ensuing kickoff resulted in three Pittsburgh points.
Turning point
Hoyer and the Colts were threatening to make it a two-possession game before Fitzpatrick tied the score on a pick-six with 2:21 left until halftime. The pick was Fitzpatrick's fourth of the season and third in a six-day span. The 96-yard return is the second-longest in Steelers history. Pittsburgh's 22 forced turnovers this season is second to only New England.
Play of the game
A week after making a pair of 50-plus yard field goals that included a game-winning, 51-yard attempt in the final seconds of the Colts' win over the Broncos, the 46-year-old Vinatieri was unable to connect on his 43-yard, game-winning attempt with 1:11 remaining. Vinatieri has now missed five field goals and five point-after attempts this season.
Quotable
"It's good when you can be in a game against a team that's used to winning in close games and pull it out, so we're thankful for that. We got some things to fix, obviously, red zone execution and so forth. But we'll address it [and] address it with a win. It's good to be .500 at the turn … given where we've come from. It's going to still be a while — we'll work forever trying to get that September stench off of us, but that's life in this thing. It's good to be sitting at 4-4. I never thought I'd hear myself say that." -- Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin on the state of his Steelers following a 0-3 and 1-4 start to the season
What's next
The Steelers will stay at home for a third consecutive week, as they will welcome Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and the rest of the defending NFC champion Rams to town next Sunday. The Colts, who slipped to second place in the AFC South following Sunday's loss, will host the no longer winless Dolphins next Sunday.
Relive today's action by checking out our in-game coverage of Sunday's game below.
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Colts at Steelers final: Adam Vinatieri shanks last-second victory, Jacoby Brissett leaves game with injury - CBSSports.com
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