Indianapolis Colts defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 in a stunning upset

The Indianapolis Colts are now 2-2 after an incredible upset over the previously-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the first half, the Colts absolutely dominated, despite losing quarterback Anthony Richardson to a hip injury. The Colts began the game with Richardson making a great pass to Michael Pittman, Jr., and then with a touchdown from Jonathan Taylor. Meanwhile, the Steelers offense wasn't productive in any sense of the word; they struggled throughout the entire half, and the defense kept the pressure on them on every snap.

Richardson went down in the first quarter with a hip injury, and head coach Shane Steichen sent in Joe Flacco for the next two snaps. Richardson then went back out onto the field, but in a truly baffling call, Steichen had the already-injured Richardson attempt a quarterback run play, which -- unsurprisingly -- led to Richardson getting hurt again. This time, he was visibly hurt, and went into the locker room. Though he returned to the sidelines, Richardson was done for the rest of the day.

Luckily for the Colts, Flacco proved more than capable of leading the team, immediately connecting with Josh Downs for a touchdown. At the end of the half, the Steelers were trailing 17-3.

In the second half, the Steelers tried to rally back to a victory, and turned what could have been a blowout into a competitive game. They managed to score multiple touchdowns, and by the end of the half, it was just a three-point game.

And though Flacco did a fantastic job, Richardson's absence was still sorely noticed, particularly when it came to the Colts' run game. Without Richardson at the helm, the run game -- and Jonathan Taylor in particular -- suffered. Taylor ended the game with 21 carries for just 88 yards, a surprising end to a promising start for him.


Despite the weaker run game, Flacco still had a great performance, going 16 for 26 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Pittman, Jr. and Josh Downs also both excelled today. Pittman caught six passes for 113 yards, and Downs caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Kicker Matt Gay also is making sure the concerns around his abilities don't go anywhere, as he yet again missed a field goal.

Next week, the Colts will travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars, one of their division rivals. It will give the Colts a chance to build on their winning streak, but despite being 0-4, the Jaguars could be a fiercer contender than expected; they remained competitive with the Texans until the last minute of today's game, and the Colts would be wise not to underestimate them.