Come-from-behind win gives Steelers needed lift
PITTSBURGH — This time, JuJu Smith-Schuster saved his dancing for the locker room.
The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, who drew the ire of opponents and an admonition from head coach Mike Tomlin recently for TikToking his moves on the midfield logo during warmups, celebrated the end of a three-game winning streak in decidedly on-brand fashion.
Sporting newly minted AFC North champion hats and T-shirts, Smith-Schuster and a handful of teammates celebrated Pittsburgh's stunning rally over Indianapolis on Sunday by putting together a loosely choreographed routine. It ended with rookie receiver Chase Claypool on his knees with his arms raised in a shout that looked like a mixture of joy and relief.
There's plenty to go around.
After spending the better part of a month doing everything they could to prove their 11-0 start was mostly smoke and mirrors, the Steelers (12-3) put together 20 minutes of brilliance against the Colts. They earned the franchise's seventh division title in Tomlin's 14 seasons. The offense scored touchdowns on three straight possessions to erase a 17-point deficit. The defense harassed Indianapolis quarterback Philip Rivers into a late interception and an errant fourth-down heave to clinch it.
“I hope it's something we can build on,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “We don't have to play perfect, but we can still battle back.”
The deep ball, a part of the offense that had gone missing for weeks, returned against the Colts. Roethlisberger unsuccessfully attempted to dink-and-dunk his way downfield in the first half, then the Steelers finally generated some momentum after going up-tempo in the third quarter.Roethlisberger's numbers after halftime — 23 of 29 for 244 yards and three touchdowns — were reminiscent of his scorching opening stretch of the season.
Maybe they should just bail on the running game entirely. Pittsburgh mustered 20 yards on the ground on 14 carries (not counting kneel-downs). While James Conner's return from a quadriceps injury helped immensely in the passing game, he ran for 20 yards on five carries. Benny Snell's wildly uneven season continued. A week after piling up 84 yards against Cincinnati, Snell's six carries resulted in zero yards.