The Indianapolis Colts travel to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. The Colts have won three straight, and head coach Chuck Pagano currently has his team in a tight race in the AFC South. The Steelers are coming off a tough loss in Seattle last week and will look to bounce back Sunday night against the Colts.
The Steelers are currently 6-5 on the year and will likely need a wildcard spot to make the postseason, making this AFC matchup crucial for both teams. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected to start and is listed as probable after suffering a concussion last week against the Seahawks. The Steelers franchise quarterback has thrown for 2,343 yards with 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Head coach Mike Tomlin will look to establish a strong ground game Sunday night, as that will alleviate pressure on Roethlisberger. Running back DeAngelo Williams leads the team in rushing with 563 yards this season and has stepped up as the Steelers top running back after losing Le'Veon Bell for the season.
Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons is the leader on the defensive side of the ball for Pittsburgh and will try to make his presence felt on Sunday. Timmons leads the team in tackles with 80 total tackles this season and can create havoc for opposing offenses. The Steelers veteran linebacker has an interception and 2.5 sacks on the year and will look get after Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
Hasselbeck is undefeated as the Colts starting quarterback this season and has won two straight games since taking over for Andrew Luck who is dealing with a lacerated kidney and partially torn abdominal muscle. Hasselbeck is coming off a strong performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, in which he threw for 315 yards with two touchdowns.
Hasselbeck will look to target Colts star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton Sunday, as he can be a dynamic playmaker for Indianapolis' offense. Hilton leads the team with 819 receiving yards and has scored five touchdowns this season. Hasselbeck has plenty of options to target on the Colts offense, and players like Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Andre Johnson will look to step up against the Steelers.
Both teams are currently fighting for playoff positioning, and this game could have major implications if both teams are fighting for wildcard spots at the end of the year. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Steelers' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Colts' radio broadcast, go here.
