Indianapolis Colts vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction & Betting Tips - NFL

Prediction published on 14/12/2023, 16:30  by Matthew Newman | Modified on 15/12/2023 at 13:45 in NFL Predictions

The 7-6 Steelers are on the road on Saturday night to take on the 7-6 Indianapolis Colts. Both teams would be in the playoffs if they started today so a loss for one of them is going to be a big blow for their postseason hopes. The Colts are just 2-4 at home so far but 5-2 when they have been on the road. They lost their most recent game but they had picked up four wins in a row ahead of that defeat. They seem to play to the level of their opponents, quite adept at grinding out a defensive low-scoring game but also capable of putting up the points when they need to against a team that can produce more in the way of point-scoring output. Gardner Minshew has started nine of the 13 games so far this season, but still has as many pass attempts as Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos and one more than Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens who have both played the full slate of 13. The Steelers are middle-of-the-road when it comes to defending the pass but have given up an average of just 193 yards through the air in their last three road games so that could be an interesting battle.

The Steelers are a hard team to watch, just 27th in the league in total offence, they have only put up 210 points in their 13 games this season and arrive off the back of a pair of poor home losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots. Those teams were both 2-10 heading into games in the Steel City but emerged with the victory. The Steelers sacked offensive coordinator Matt Canada much to the delight of Steelers fans who have been calling for his head for a long time but since Canada has gone, their offence has gotten even worse. The loss of Kenny Pickett at quarterback has not helped matters, fans calling for Mason Rudolph last week when Mitch Trubisky was struggling. That was a far cry from when Rudolph last saw action when the boo birds were on his back. It does not matter who the Steelers start at quarterback at the moment, they just don't have any offensive weapons for them to target. Only the Cardinals and New York Giants have fewer passing yards than the Steelers this season and no team has fewer passing touchdowns. The Colts give up plenty of rushing yards so expect to see an old-fashioned Steelers attack with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren running the ball.