INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
(Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium)
Series (including playoffs): Steelers 28-8
Last meeting: Steelers 27, Colts 20 (2025 at Pittsburgh)
Coaching: HC: Shane Steichen; OC: Jim Bob Cooter; DC: Lou Anarumo; STC: Brian Mason
2025: 8-9, third in AFC South Division (9th total offense; 23rd total defense)
Behind a veteran offensive line, and with legitimate weapons at every other skill position, quarterback Daniel Jones had the Colts on fire the first half of the season. The Colts were 7-1 before a loss to the Steelers ignited a 1-8 finish. A season-ending injury to Jones contributed to the downfall as the Colts were forced to pull 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of a fifth year of retirement to quarterback the final three losses.
Key returnees
* RB Jonathan Taylor led the NFL with 20 total touchdowns and 18 rushing touchdowns. He finished third in rushing (1,585) and yards from scrimmage (1,963). He was named to his third Pro Bowl in six NFL seasons, and with 7,598 career rushing yards ranks fifth among all active players.
* TE Tyler Warren was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Rookie team after catching 76 passes for 817 yards and 4 touchdowns. He added a fifth touchdown rushing. Last year's 14th overall pick out of Penn State ranked fifth among NFL tight ends in receiving yards and tied for sixth in receptions.
* OG Quenton Nelson continued his reign as one of the league's top interior linemen with an eighth Pro Bowl in his eighth pro season. The left guard was named second-team All-Pro for the second consecutive season.
* QB Jones and WR Alec Pierce agreed to multiple-year deals in the first 24 hours of 2026 free agency to remain with the team. Jones, a former first-round pick of the New York Giants, was enjoying a breakout year until tearing his right Achilles' tendon. Pierce caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards and led the NFL for a second consecutive season in average yards per reception (21.3).
Key losses
* WR Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to the Steelers for a late-round pick swap. In six seasons with the Colts, Pittman caught 485 passes for 5,254 yards and 25 touchdowns.
* RT Braden Smith signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans in free agency. Smith, 30, struggled with a neck injury last season.
* DE Kwity Paye, a former first-round pick out of Michigan, signed a three-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. In five seasons with the Colts, Paye compiled 30.5 sacks.
* MLB Zaire Franklin was traded to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Colby Wooden. Franklin led the Colts with 125 tackles.
* CB Kenny Moore was released on May 7. The nickelback will be replaced by 2025 third-round pick Justin Walley, who tore an ACL in training camp and missed his rookie season.
* SS Nick Cross signed a two-year contract with the Washington Commanders in free agency. Cross made 17 starts last season and was second on the Colts with 120 tackles.
Offseason additions
* WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was signed to start opposite Pierce in place of Pittman Jr. Westbrook-Ilchine played five seasons for Tennessee before spending last season with Miami, where he caught 11 passes for 29 yards.
* DE/OLBs Arden Key and Micheal Clemons were signed to multiple-year deals early in free agency to compete for the spot vacated by Paye. Key, 30, had four sacks last season, while Clemons, 29 in August, had one.
* LB Akeem Davis-Gaither was signed after making a career-high 117 tackles for the Arizona Cardinals. Before his release by the Cardinals, Davis-Gaither spent the previous five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 2: LB CJ Allen, Georgia, was a first-team All-American, captain, and defensive signal-caller for the Bulldogs. He's expected to replace Franklin in the starting lineup and wear the green dot.
Round 3: SS A.J. Haulcy, LSU, had 12 pass breakups and 8 interceptions his last two college seasons and is expected to replace Cross in the starting lineup.
Matching up with the Steelers
The Steelers jumped out to a 24-7 lead on their way to beating the Colts last season with the help of five sacks, which went a long way in forcing five turnovers by Jones. Jones did find enough time to deliver 115-yard receiving games to both Pierce and Pittman. The latter is now with the Steelers, leaving the Colts with fewer proven receiving threats. But Pierce is a dangerous one. The bigger question for the Colts offense is whether Jones will be recovered from his Dec. 7 season-ending injury. The Colts also possess an elite RB in Taylor and emerging star TE in Warren.
Defensively, the Colts ranked 31st in pass defense last season, but have bolstered their secondary with 2025 in-season acquisition Sauce Gardner and the expected return to health of fellow cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Walley. Much is also expected at safety from Haulcy. The Colts' top pass-rusher remains Laiatu Latu, who had 8.5 sacks last season, including a season-high 2.5 against the Steelers.
