The Indianapolis Colts stand atop the AFC with a record of 7-1. The only thing that detractors have been able to use to argue against the Colts' dominance is that they haven't beaten many true contenders.
Against the two best teams they've faced (the LA Rams and Denver Broncos), the Colts have a record of 1-1. In Week 9, Indy will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the number three seed in the AFC.
This game will be a litmus test to see how dominant the Colts truly are and how much of their success has been a product of a weak schedule. Not only that, this is a game that will have huge playoff ramifications for the AFC. Any game between the teams that hold the one and three seeds, respectively, is bound to cause a ripple effect.
Five bold predictions for the Indianapolis Colts versus the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Colts have been, indisputably, the hottest team in football to start the 2025 NFL season. Really, it's not even a debate, and while supporters of the team will scoff at those who say the Colts haven't beaten good teams, the argument does hold some water. How the team performs against Pittsburgh will show how good this team really is.
Prediction No. 1: Michael Pittman will have his best game of the year
Against the Titans in Week 8, Michael Pittman had his most impactful performance of the year. He made two spectacular catches, one of them for a touchdown, and led the team with 95 yards. This week, let's predict that he ups the ante.
Michael Pittman will not only be the leading receiver for the Colts again, but he will have his first performance of over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown on top of that. Though it seems that the Pittsburgh Steelers constantly have one of the best defenses in the league year in and year out, this year finally seems to be the year that stops.
TJ Watt hasn't played like the alien he has been in years past, and Pittsburgh has some real depth questions in the defense as a whole. This is a team that gave up 33 points to Joe Flacco-led Cincinnati Bengals just two weeks ago. Pittman should have the opportunity to feast; he just needs to take advantage of it.
Prediction No. 2: Jonathan Taylor reaches 1000 rushing yards on the season
Yes, in only Week 9, the league's leader in rushing yards will reach the 1,000-yard mark. JT will need a productive game to do it, seeing as he's sitting at 850 rushing yards on the year, but it's nothing we haven't seen him do before.
Taylor would need 150 rushing yards to hit 1000 rushing yards, a feat he's already accomplished twice this season. Yes, one of those games came against an abysmal Tennessee Titans team, but the other came against the highly vaunted Denver Broncos defense.
Taylor's been doing his best to make a case for the MVP thus far into 2025, and while the award always seems to go to quarterbacks these days, already having 1000 rushing yards through just nine weeks would go a long way in furthering Taylor's case. He's been the most productive back in football, and it's time to prove that he's been the best player in the league, regardless of position.
Prediction No. 3: The Colts will force Aaron Rodgers to have his third two interception game of the season
The Aaron Rodgers Experience in Pittsburgh has been a success in the wins department thus far, but when looking at the actual on-field play, it's clear that Rodgers isn't the player he used to be. Rodgers has thrown five picks on the season, and four of them have resulted from just two games.
It's no secret that the Colts' secondary has been pretty banged up this year, but despite that, the defense has managed to consistently produce turnovers. The team has ten interceptions on the year, and that's not even to mention the forced fumbles that they've caused.
The key to this game will be effectively stopping Aaron Rodgers through the air, and producing turnovers goes a long way in doing that. If the team really does pick Rodgers off twice, it's hard to imagine that Indy would be walking out of Pittsburgh with another mark in the loss column.
Prediction No. 4: Chris Boswell will be the leading scorer for the Steelers
The top 15 points scorers in the league thus far into the season are a list comprised of 14 kickers, among which Chris Boswell ranks ninth with 59 points. Funnily enough, the only player in the top 15 of the category not to be a kicker is the man leading the league in points scored overall, totaling 86 points on the year. Any guesses as to who that might be? If you said Jonathan Taylor, you'd be right!
Praise of Jonathan Taylor's ridiculous season aside, Boswell is consistently one of the highest scoring kickers in the league precisely because the Steelers are extremely adept at getting into the red zone and then settling for field goals.
The prediction here is that Boswell will lead the Steelers in scoring in the game because the Colts' defense will have enough of a bend but don't break toughness to them that they'll keep Pittsburgh out of the endzone the majority of the time, but still allow a fair amount of field goals. That's classic Steelers football, so don't be surprised if this Boswell prediction rings true come game time.
Prediction No. 5: Indianapolis will win by a score of ten points or more
The Pittsburgh Steelers are an objectively good football team when looking at their record. Still, context matters, and the wins and losses don't tell the whole story. If there's an argument that the Colts aren't elite because they haven't played anyone elite, that argument rings doubly true for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh's signature win of the season came when they barely eked out a win against an admittedly good New England Patriots team. By the same token, however, this is also a team that lost to the Joe Flacco-led Cincinnati Bengals and also barely beat the New York Jets (who were winless until beating the aforementioned Bengals in Week 8).
It sure seems like the only things certain in life are death, taxes, and Mike Tomlin getting his team to a winning record, but the Colts are a tier above any of the other teams Pittsburgh has played besides the Green Bay Packers (who they lost by 10 points to), and arguably the Seattle Seahawks (who they lost by 14 points to).
Anything can happen in a game, but it's not out of the question to anticipate similar results when this Steelers team faces the red-hot Indianapolis Colts.