Tim Benz: Pass game, Mike Hilton lead 'Feats of Strength' as Steelers storm back vs. Colts

Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive woes of late, I’m struggling to best express my level of surprise with how they turned momentum in the second half of their 28-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field.

Perhaps, sticking with the tone of the season, I’ll borrow a line from renowned wordsmith Clark W. Griswold in “Christmas Vacation.”

“Eddie, if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now.”

The Steelers have spent most of the last month looking like the Pirates in late August. Now suddenly they look like — well — the Steelers of 2020.

Again.

This team unearthed that magic touch where 30 minutes of good football is enough to overcome their warts and beat another decent organization in a close game. Just like they did against the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans earlier in the season.

So before we take down the Festivus Pole, let’s celebrate the “Feats of Strength” put forth by the Steelers in a “Christmas miracle” 17-point comeback victory.

Second-half sensation: Indianapolis went into the locker room dominating, up 21-7 at halftime. They had the ball for more than 18 minutes in the first half. They outgained the Steelers, 217-93. It looked like the game was over given the Steelers’ inability to score of late.

They have been so bad for all 60 minutes the last three weeks, I had forgotten about their propensity this season to look like world-beaters for 30-minute stretches.

They managed to do that eight or nine times en route to their 11-0 start. Mike Tomlin’s team would look dreadful on one side of halftime, then appear to be the 1985 Chicago Bears on the other side.

The second half Sunday had that September and October vibe all over again, with the Steelers outgaining Indianapolis, 260-148. They got 20 first downs to the Colts’ eight. They held the ball for 9:37 of the fourth quarter, and, most importantly, they scored 21 of the game’s final 24 points.

Essentially, the roster showed up just in time for the third quarter and managed to win the game anyway.

Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt admitted the mood of the team was dejected when it was trailing 21-7 because it felt “like they got punched in the face.” Then the players put their “heads down and prayed” in the locker room during halftime.

Join the club. I think most of Pittsburgh was spouting off a few Hail Marys after those gruesome first 30 minutes.

Or we all just made a collective deal with the Devil. Either way works as far as I’m concerned. Whatever it takes to make sure the Steelers win the AFC North and the Cleveland Browns don’t.

Then again, if the Browns aren’t good enough to beat the New York Jets, maybe divine intervention wasn’t necessary.

So this is how it works?: It’s amazing what happens when you hit a few long balls. Or at least stress the other team’s defensive backs.

In the first half, this game looked like another edition of what we have come to know as the Steelers 2020 offense. A short-throw, no-run, chuck-and-duck disaster.

Incapable of going deep. Unable to gain yards on the ground. The team had a piddly 93 yards of offense after 30 minutes.

But, in the second half, the Steelers hit a few deep shots. Something they tried to do against Cincinnati last week but couldn’t.

“We missed on a few opportunities in the first half,” coach Mike Tomlin said after the game. “I don’t know if it was that dramatic. It’s a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes. Sometimes it’s very subtle.”

Boy, I don’t know. The line didn’t seem so fine to me. The second half was like a fine Italian vintage. The first half was more like something on sale at the back of the liquor store that you’d pour from a box.

The Steelers also drew multiple pass-interference penalties against Colts defensive backs, some of which were shaky calls. But if officials refused to call holding against the Colts offensive line when attempting to block T.J. Watt, maybe that was their way to make up for it.

This isn’t holding??? #Steelers pic.twitter.com/K1JZEHoVI6

— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) December 27, 2020

Yes. It was holding. “Choke-holding,” in fact.

Loosening the defense of Indianapolis on the back end allowed the underneath passes to open. The Steelers have been trying to find a rhythm in the short passing game for weeks. And they finally rediscovered it.

Also, the up-tempo and no-huddle approach was able to slow down the opposing team’s pass rush, according to Ben Roethlisberger. That seemed to help significantly.

High on Hilton: Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton made two of the biggest plays of the game. He intercepted Colts quarterback Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter after the Steelers took a 28-24 lead.

But his fumble recovery early in the second quarter was even bigger. It set up Roethlisberger and company on the 3-yard line. Even the Steelers could score from there as James Conner plowed into the end zone to make it 7-7.

For as much of a grind as the offensive side of the ball had been, it needed a short field to crack onto the scoreboard, and Hilton gave it to them.

Conner can: Conner was left out of a “goal-to-go” sequence in the third quarter. And the Steelers left with no points. And he had just one carry aside from his touchdown in the first half.

But when he was allowed to play in the second half, he was helpful.

“He brought an energy and intensity and a demeanor that was contagious,” Tomlin said. “But he always brings that. That’s consistent with who he is. He just hasn’t been very available of late.”

In this case, Conner had been available in the red zone sequence early in the third quarter. The coaches just didn’t use him. Thankfully they did as the game moved along. Conner touched the ball five times on the Steelers’ last two touchdown drives. He totaled 65 yards from scrimmage in the second half.

Meanwhile, Benny Snell had six carries for a net of zero yards.

The other team has coaches, too: Every week in this post, I second-guess Steelers coaches for their play-calling.

But what about that second-half approach from the Colts? It certainly helped the Steelers.

Indy’s first drive after losing the lead was particularly panicked. On the second snap, Nyheim Hines ran the ball 10 yards, just shy of midfield. And on first down from their own 47, Rivers heaved the ball deep and Hilton intercepted it.

Indianapolis averaged 4.5 yards per carry and totaled 127 yards on the ground. But they only rushed the ball eight times in the second half despite leading until midway through the fourth quarter.

Colts coach Frank Reich said there were at least three or four runs called that Rivers audibled into a pass because he felt as if the team was going to run right into the Steelers pressure and the play would “get blown out.”

“When they force our hand into the pass game, all it takes is one, two, three times to get them out of that stuff,” Reich said. “We just weren’t able to get that done.”

Running back Jonathan Taylor had 74 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. But he only had five touches in the second half. Reich admitted he would’ve liked to have gotten Taylor “more involved” in the latter half of the game. But the Steelers adjusted his thinking by ruining a run play — and a play-action pass — in the third quarter.