INDIANAPOLIS — This was Steichen Ball.
Remember?
Throw to score, run to win.
And it was punctuated by every offensive lineman’s dream scenario.
Late in the third quarter, the Indianapolis Colts leading the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-13 — on the strength of Gardner Minshew II’s career-best-tying three touchdown passes, thank you very much — and setting up first-and-10 at their 17-yard line.
Fourteen plays later — 13 rushes by the unlikely tag team of running backs Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson — and kicker Matt Gay pushed the lead to 27-13 with a 31-yard field goal.
The drive drained 8 minutes, 57 seconds off the clock.
That might have been the point in a 30-13 Colts’ victory Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium the vaunted Steelers defense offered a collective No mas! and the Colts strengthened their playoff push with a fifth win in six games.
They knew what was coming and were unable to do anything about it.
“When you can put a drive together like that and take time off the clock — kind of put the game away — that’s a really good feeling as an offensive lineman,’’ center Ryan Kelly said.
Did the Colts take some of the heart out of the Steelers at a key juncture in the game?
“Yeah, man,’’ Kelly said. “What was it, (13) straight runs? You kind of break their will a little bit.
“That doesn’t always happen in the NFL. Give a lot of credit to the play call, sticking with it.’’
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin conceded “attrition’’ was a factor. His defense lost safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and Damontae Kazee (ejected after wicked hit on Michael Pittman Jr., who suffered a concussion on the play).
“They played well and we didn’t,’’ he said.
The Colts finished with 170 rushing yards on 34 attempts despite Jonathan Taylor missing a third straight game following thumb surgery and Zack Moss leaving the game in the second quarter with an arm injury.
They pounded and pounded and pounded Pittsburgh with Sermon (88 yards on 17 attempts) and Goodson (69 on 11). In the second half, coach Shane Steichen and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter kept flipping to the Run the Damn Ball section of the game plan: 23 attempts, 133 yards. The Colts had a total of 101 rushing yards the past two weeks against Cincinnati and Tennessee.
The Colts scored 30 unanswered points after falling behind 13-0 and Minshew threw the ball just seven times in the second half.
“It was awesome to see,’’ Steichen said of the run game’s overall success and on the long drive. “It just showed that we’re capable of running the football whenever we want to. You’ve got to do it at a high level and execute.
“Do you want to do it every week? Heck yeah, you want to do that every week. Does it work out like that every week? No, it doesn’t.’’
When it does: bully ball prevails.
“It felt good because they know we’re about to run it, we know we’re about to run it, so it’s all about who wants it more,’’ Sermon said.
The Colts didn’t need the win more than Pittsburgh — each team entered the game 7-6 and tenuously holding a playoff berth — but there’s no question they exited Lucas Oil Stadium in much better shape after snapping an eight-game losing streak against the Steelers.
Indy remains the No. 7 seed and Cincinnati replaced Pittsburgh on the No. 6 rung following its overtime win against the Minnesota Vikings. The New York Times’ playoff simulator calculated the Colts’ playoffs odds bouncing to 62% with a win over the Steelers.
Credit the run game.
And credit the top-to-bottom resilience of the Colts. Next man up was very much in play versus the Steelers.
*Indy entered the game without Taylor, then lost Moss on his 16-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Minshew in the second quarter. He injured an arm when linebacker Mykal Walker “horse-collared’’ him at the left pylon.
Sermon and Goodson more than filled the void(s).
Sermon entered the game with 37 yards on 11 attempts this season. Goodson had zero rushing attempts and three receptions while being on the field for nine snaps in two games. He was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad Friday.
“We knew it was coming,’’ Sermon said. “One thing about the league: You just have to be ready. You know your number’s going to get called.
“Me and Tyler did a great job each and every day, even when we’re not out there playing. We made sure we were ready. It was on full display today.’’
Added Goodson: “One thing about the NFL is you always have to be ready. Zack was done so we knew we had to step up.’’
He’s used to the type of run-heavy drive the Colts mounted.
“I went to the University of Iowa,’’ he said with a smile, “so I’ve been on drives like that.’’
*Pittman had four catches for 78 yards before suffering a concussion on a vicious hit by Kazee. On the season, he has 99 catches and a second career 1,000-yard season (1,062).
Without their go-to receivers, the Colts asked D.J. Montgomery to step up. Like Goodson, he was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad late in the week. Montgomery had been on the field for 11 plays in three games and had to overcome dropping what should have been a 1-yard TD in the second quarter with the Colts trailing 13-7.
Montgomery regrouped. He finished with two catches for 48 yards, including a 14-yard TD on the ensuing drive that sent Indy into halftime with a 14-13 lead. Montgomery’s 34-yard reception was the catalyst of a possession that began at the Colts 26 with 44 seconds remaining.
“Man, I ain’t gonna lie,’’ he said. “That was a lot of fun. I haven’t had that much playing football in a while. You’ve got to stay ready every week in the walkthroughs and stuff; stay in the playbook. Just picture yourself in there every week because you never know when your number’s going to get called.’’
The drop?
“It’s football,’’ Montgomery said. “It has its ups and downs. I come to the sidelines and all my teammates were right there like, ‘It’s coming right back. Just keep going. You know you can make that play.’ That meant a lot to have guys back you up.’’
The frontliners stood out in a key AFC matchup.
Minshew passed for 215 yards and TDs to Moss, Montgomery and Mo-Alie Cox. It was his fifth career three-TD came — three have occurred in Lucas Oil, two while he was with Jacksonville – and all five have seen him connect with three different receivers.
“He played good,’’ Steichen said. “I mean, he was concise with his reads, his decisions, getting the ball out of his hands quick, and making plays.
“He just operates at a high level.’’
Defensively, the Colts limited Pittsburgh to a season-low 216 yards, sacked Mitchell Trubisky four times — that ties the Indy-era record with 46 on the season — and came up with three takeaways. Julian Blackmon had an interception and fumble recovery while Nick Cross had an interception.
It was a complementary effort that enabled the Colts to overcome a 13-0 deficit early in the second quarter, which included a block of a Rigoberto Sanchez punt, and two sacks by T.J. Watt.
Last week’s 34-14 loss at Cincinnati was a team-wide misstep.
Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh was the complete opposite.
“Excited for the guys putting in the work,’’ Steichen said. “The weekly preparation they did, and then going out and executing it on Saturday.
“It was great to see that today.’’
Kelly’s attention kept focusing on Trey Sermon, Tyler Goodson and D.J. Montgomery.
“If you’re dressing out on (game day), it’s because somebody’s vouched for you,’’ he said. “You’re here for a reason and they think you can play.
“Those guys maximized their opportunities.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.