It certainly wasn't a day when the defense dominated, because through three quarters, that unit had no sacks, no takeaways, 1 hit on QB Daniel Jones, and 4 passes defensed on 25 attempts. And this is the same Daniel Jones who came into Sunday's game with 7 turnovers (4 interceptions and 3 lost fumbles).
Over the course of the game, the Colts ran 69 offensive plays — 49 of which started on the Steelers' half of the field — and they possessed the ball for 32 minutes, with a little over 25 minutes' worth of that coming in the first 3 quarters.
Special teams didn't really distinguish itself, either. Yes, Cam Johnston put together another impressive performance by combining distance and placement on his 3 punts to finish with a 52-yard average, with one being a fair catch, one going out of bounds at the Colts 4-yard line, and the other downed by Brandin Echols. And Chris Boswell was a perfect 2-of-2 on FGs (48 and 54 yards), and 4 PATs, while also delivering a couple of touchbacks on kickoffs after the Colts posted 54 and 36-yard returns.
But that also points to as some tense moments because of leaky kick coverage, and the Steelers have not been able to generate anything via their return game.
Come mid-October in the NFL, when a home team allows that to happen to a slight underdog it very often sends the paying customers heading for the exits disappointed and looking for someone(s) to blame for a loss.
But another fact of NFL life is that the game is now one where a quarterback can erase a lot of those blemishes. At least erase enough of them to win, and the winning is the reason the home team opens the building in the first place.
The Steelers played the part of the home team on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, with the Colts being the plucky, stubborn visitor looking to steal one before slipping out of town before dark.
Aaron Rodgers was the Steelers' eraser. He was poised. In control of the play clock and aware of the different situations pertaining to it. He read the Colts post-snap coverage and stood his ground to get the ball to Jaylen Warren for what turned into an 80-yard touchdown.
"So I just threw it to Jaylen," said Rodgers. "Right as I'm throwing it, I'm feeling something about to just destroy me. And it's fun to watch him just go down the sideline. You think, oh, it's going to be a big play. Now it's 20 (yards), now it's 30, now it's 40. Oh, he might score? Oh, that's cool. Yeah, didn't really have to do anything other than take a shot. I've definitely thrown a few of those (1-yard passes), although I did take a shot on the that play, so I feel like I kind of earned it a little bit. Maybe not 80 yards and a touchdown worth."
When the game started, the wide receivers the Steelers had in uniform were DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard, Ben Skowronek, Brandon Smith, and Kaden Wetjen, who's listed as a WR but he's one who had played 0 offensive snaps through 4 games. Then before the Steelers ran an offensive play in the second half, both Wilson and Skowronek had been rules out of the game with injuries.
So Coach Mike McCarthy makes the right move by playing more 1-RB, 2TE football, and Rodgers incorporated the adjustments seamlessly by keeping an eye on Metcalf for whenever the Colts let CB Sauce Gardner go 1-on-1, which was almost never, and instead turned to TE Pat Freiermuth.
With 6:40 remaining and the Steelers protecting a 24-22 lead, Rodgers answered a third-and-6 from the Colts 17-yard line with a perfectly timed and placed throw to Freiermuth who had made a quick move to create just enough separation to turn it into the play that turned the lead a much more comfortable 31-22.
"Pat is a phenomenal player. You know, those are a gimme touchdowns," said Rodgers. "They play a form of two-man, so they're kind of doubling DK (to the weak side), and the linebacker has the back, and somebody has got to win in one-on-one situations, and we haven't done that as much as we would have liked this season.
"I like the matchup. I like the call, and I love the route. When you go back and watch it, which I will do tonight, be pretty happy about the route. (My job is) just don't miss the guy wide open in front of you, and Pat does the rest."
Rodgers also was helping a defense that was struggling in the splash play department through three quarters while also bowing its back whenever the Colts moved to the doorstep of the end zone. The defense forced field goals on second-half possessions where the Colts had a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line and then a first-and-goal at the 10-yard line.
Indianapolis kept sniffing around, but the Steelers' pass rush eventually warmed to the task with a sack and generally got more traffic around Jones. By the end of the game, Jones had attempted 44 passes, and Steelers defenders finished with 11 passes defensed.
It's a team game, and when the Steelers wake up in the morning there is comfort in knowing they all had some positive impact on the victory that made them 3-2 instead of 2-3. But the sum of it all doesn't add up to a win without top-quality, NFL-caliber quarterback play.
There was a point in the first half – until 9:22 remained to be precise – when Jonathan Taylor and Aaron Rodgers had both rushed for the same number of yards. Certainly, the defense deserves credit for containing one of the league's best backs, but Rodgers deserves credit for being willing and able to use his 42-year-old wheels to further the cause.
Again, it was a team effort, with a notable example being the times the pass protection provided time for the quarterback to see it and throw it.
"I think our O-line is coming together nicely," said Coach Mike McCarthy. "I love their temperament, their personality. You're starting to see that more and more each week. Every time we talk about the O-line the importance of having five starters play together every day is a critical, critical factor to the unit being successful. So we've had three weeks of that now. We just need to continue working, but I thought those guys played very well today."
Yes, and what Rodgers showed the Steelers was that he still has the ability to take advantage of solid protection and precise route-running to provide the level of quarterback play that wins games.
"The way I believe the passing game should come together is discipline through time clocks," said McCarthy. "So I thought our time clocks were better today. I thought Aaron did a great job of staying on time. I thought his pocket presence was excellent. His ability to move with his feet and make plays out of the pocket was exactly what we needed. I didn't really move him a whole lot in the passing game, so I thought he did a really nice job in the A- and B-gaps, the escapes, and things like that."
Aaron Rodgers did more than just play quarterback on Sunday. He was the quarterback, and the trickle-down of everything he made happen or allowed to happen helped the Steelers get the win they needed.
