Advertisement

Indianapolis Colts top Pittsburgh Steelers for first preseason win

By The Sports Xchange
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell tackles Indianapolis Colts tight end Darrell Daniels during their preseason game Saturday night. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell tackles Indianapolis Colts tight end Darrell Daniels during their preseason game Saturday night. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

The Indianapolis Colts picked up their first victory of the preseason Saturday night, beating the Steelers 19-15 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Third-string quarterback Stephen Morris led the Colts on a 14-play, 86-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter for the go-ahead score. The drive was finished by running back Josh Ferguson, who scored from 1 yard.

Advertisement

Behind backup quarterback Scott Tolzein, who started the game for injured Andrew Luck, the Colts took a 13-6 halftime lead before giving way to the reserves in the second half.

Tolzein finished 7 of 10 for 123 yards. The only blemish came when Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier intercepted him early in the second quarter.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Antonio Brown played for the first time this preseason and each saw action for two series. Roethlisberger was 6 of 9 for 73 yards and Brown had two receptions for 28 yards before exiting.

The Steelers, who fell to 2-1 in the preseason, were driving in Colts territory on their first possession when Roethlisberger was stripped from behind and fumbled.

Advertisement

On the second series, Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to the Colts' 18 before the drive stalled. Chris Boswell came on and kicked a 36-yard field goal.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin kept his other offensive starters in for the remainder of the half, and they could only manage one more field goal with six seconds remaining before halftime.

The Steelers' first-team defense didn't fare much better. They allowed a 55-yard pass play to Donte Moncrief on the Colts' first play from scrimmage and watched veteran running back Frank Gore cap the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Tomlin kept most of his defensive starters in for three series. They allowed 10 points before exiting.

The Steelers allowed 216 yards in the first half, with most of that against the first-team defense. They gave up 259 yards in the first half last week against the Falcons.

The Steelers had a chance to take the lead late in the game, but Jones was intercepted in the end zone by Chris Milton.

The Steelers had first-and-goal at the 1 after JuJu Smith-Schuster drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone on the previous play.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines