Colts vs. Steelers
Is there a team in the NFL hotter than the Colts right now? Andrew Luck‘s team has won five in a row, are tops in the AFC, and last week put the exclamation mark on it with a shutout of the Bengals. Luck has pieced together five consecutive 300-plus-yard games and is very much in the MVP discussion. But it’s a defense minus top pass-rusher Robert Mathis that’s been the best surprise, limiting teams to 272 total yards of offense during the streak. The Steelers earned a season-salvaging win on Monday night against the Texans, as Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown reminded us that they’re two of the most dynamic offensive players in the game.
Bold prediction: The Steelers were able to overcome an early deficit to Houston and mask their defensive losses, but it won’t be as easy against these Colts. Ryan Shazier could return for the first time since Week 3, but they are still without Jarvis Jones and Ike Taylor. Shazier is a difference-maker, but he alone cannot stop Luck and Co. Luck easily passes for 300 yards and Ahmad Bradshaw finds holes in this patchwork defensive front seven as the Colts rip off a sixth straight win.
