As chilly as it was outside in Cincinnati, inside the Colts’ locker room it was much colder following their 34-14 Week 14 loss to the Bengals.
While the entire team was disappointed, it was the defensive players who mostly shouldered the blame for the loss following an uncharacteristically poor outing from them.
The Bengals’ 34 points were the most that the unit had allowed since their Week 8 38-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints. They also allowed 385 total yards, a figure that was only topped by the Saints’ 511 since late October.
“I feel like it’s on us as leaders to keep the team grounded and keep our understanding that, when you’re playing capable teams late in the year, the games mean more, the execution means more and we got to play to the level we know we gotta play to the level that we know we’re able to play at,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said immediately after the game. “I don’t think we did that today on any phase and we just gotta be better.”
So, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town six days later, how did the Colts respond?
They held the opposition to just 13 points and 216 total yards.
The defense’s performance against the run was one of the best in the season. With the Steelers gaining just 74 rushing yards, it was the first time the Colts held an adversary to less than 75 rushing yards since they held the Houston Texans to 52 yards in Week 2.
“[That game] showed a lot man,” defensive tackle Grover Stewart said. “All around the NFL – don’t try to run the ball on the Colts’ defensive line. We’re gonna get you. We’re gonna stop you. We’re gonna try our best to stop you.”
They also forced three turnovers, the most they’ve had since picking off three passes against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9.
“It’s a long season. There are going to be games where plays here or there – like we said, the screens were a big issue in the Cincinnati game. To see us come back, Pittsburgh tried a…
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