Over the past three seasons, the only team to sack an Indianapolis Colts quarterback five times in a game is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
No team has taken down a Colts passer more than three times in the 22 games since the Steelers sacked Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer a combined five times during a Nov. 2, 2019 win at Heinz Field.
Since then, the Colts are averaging opponents just 1.5 sacks per game, making for a storyline heading into Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers lead the NFL in sacks (47); Indianapolis is second-best in preventing them (16).
Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler didn’t bat an eye Thursday when it was implied to him the Colts have the NFL’s best offensive line.
“All you have to do is turn on the film. It doesn’t lie,” Butler said. “Our guys know the type of guys we are playing against. They accept the challenge. That’s the thing I like about our guys, especially up front. They’re very highly competitive. They don’t like to lose.”
The Steelers “won” last season’s battle in the trenches against an Indianapolis offensive line that featured two Pro Bowlers in both 2019 and this season (center Ryan Kelly and guard Quenton Nelson).
Quenton Nelson, the No. 6 overall draft pick last year out of Notre Dame, was All Pro as a rookie and seemingly has gotten even better as a second-year pro at age 23. #Steelers https://t.co/lBYlREp19d
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 1, 2019
The unit also includes tackles Anthony Castonzo and Braden Smith and guard Mark Glowinski.
“I just think this group is a really cohesive unit together, and they work well off each other,” Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt said, “especially in the run game when they have guards puling around the edges. They have great rapport with each other, (and) I think the quarterback (Philip Rivers) has a great understanding of where those guys are going to be and vice versa, so I just think collectively they have a great unit.”
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