Week 9 | November 2, 2025 | Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA | Attendance: 66,677
The Indianapolis Colts came into Pittsburgh as 3-point road favorites, leading the AFC at 7-1, with the NFL’s top rusher and an offense that had outscored most of the conference through eight weeks. None of that mattered much after Daniel Jones lost the football six times.
Jones threw three interceptions, fumbled three times, lost two of them, and absorbed five sacks in Pittsburgh’s 27-20 victory — a performance that gave the Steelers (5-3) everything they needed and more. His three picks matched his entire season total from the first eight games combined.
Pittsburgh’s defense turned three of those giveaways into touchdowns, strung together 24 straight points off the back of a T.J. Watt strip-sack, and restored some of the menace that had gone missing in back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and Green Bay. The Colts’ 20 points tied a season low.
Table of Contents
Score by Quarter
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
Scoring Summary
| QTR | TIME | TEAM | PLAY | IND | PIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8:05 | IND | Daniel Jones 1-yd rush (Badgley kick) | 7 | 0 |
| 2nd | 6:09 | PIT | Jaylen Warren 1-yd rush (Boswell kick) | 7 | 7 |
| 2nd | 4:22 | PIT | Pat Freiermuth 12-yd pass from Rodgers (Boswell kick) | 7 | 14 |
| 2nd | 0:00 | PIT | Chris Boswell 25-yd FG | 7 | 17 |
| 4th | 14:16 | PIT | Jaylen Warren 2-yd rush (Boswell kick) | 7 | 24 |
| 4th | 10:45 | IND | Michael Badgley 52-yd FG | 10 | 24 |
| 4th | 6:51 | PIT | Chris Boswell 46-yd FG | 10 | 27 |
| 4th | 4:30 | IND | Josh Downs 4-yd pass from Jones (Badgley kick) | 17 | 27 |
| 4th | 0:09 | IND | Michael Badgley 53-yd FG | 20 | 27 |
The Play That Broke Indianapolis Open
Pittsburgh trailed 7-0 in the second quarter, and the Colts were moving efficiently on another drive when Watt changed everything.
He looped around the edge, reached Jones in one motion, and knocked the ball out of his right hand. Pittsburgh recovered at their own 44-yard line. Jaylen Warren scored three plays later. Two snaps after the kickoff, Jones threw short to Payton Wilson, who returned the interception 17 yards to the Indianapolis 14. Aaron Rodgers hit Pat Freiermuth for a 12-yard touchdown two plays after that. Before Indianapolis saw the ball again, Pittsburgh was up 17-7.
Warren scored again on a two-yard run to open the fourth quarter. The Colts wouldn’t pull within one score until late in the fourth, with the outcome already decided.
“One of the most important things was just pinning our ears back and going, playing physical football.” — T.J. Watt
Cameron Heyward, who had called out a lack of fight after the Green Bay loss, was direct about what shifted.
“I thought there was fight from the entire group. It’s just collectively, we all have to be responsible. We’ve got to play with a lot of energy, and I love the energy we showed today.” — Cameron Heyward
Quarterback Stats
Jones finished 31-of-50 for 342 yards with a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown from the one-yard line in the first quarter, but three interceptions and a 63.9 passer rating. Shane Steichen noted two picks were tipped at the line. Jones was candid about the larger problem.
“They have a good pass rush and guys who can move. Knowing that, I’ve got to get the ball out.” — Daniel Jones
Rodgers operated within Pittsburgh’s structure: 25-of-35, 203 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions, and a 95.3 passer rating. With six Colts turnovers keeping his offense short-handed on field position, Rodgers never had to do more than manage the game efficiently.
| QB | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG | ADJ. COMP% | aDOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Jones (IND) | 31/50 | 342 | 1 | 3 | 5 (-29 yds) | 63.9 | 68.9% | 8.6 |
| Aaron Rodgers (PIT) | 25/35 | 203 | 1 | 0 | 3 (-16 yds) | 95.3 | 82.3% | 2.9 |
Receiving Stats
Indianapolis spread the ball across the roster. Michael Pittman Jr. led both teams with nine catches for 115 yards on 12 targets. Alec Pierce matched that yardage total on six receptions, averaging 19.2 yards per catch with an average depth of target of 15.7 yards — the deepest target distribution among any receiver on either side. Josh Downs delivered the Colts’ only passing score, a four-yard touchdown grab with 4:30 left, finishing with six catches for 57 yards.
Pittsburgh worked short. Calvin Austin III was Rodgers’ most consistent option, pulling in five catches for 56 yards with 38 of those coming after the catch. Darnell Washington and Kenneth Gainwell were reliable underneath, combining for eight receptions and 78 yards. Freiermuth’s 12-yard touchdown was Pittsburgh’s only scoring pass of the afternoon.
Indianapolis Colts — Receiving
| PLAYER | TGT | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | YAC | aDOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Pittman Jr. | 12 | 9 | 115 | 12.8 | 0 | 21 | 20 | 9.9 |
| Alec Pierce | 13 | 6 | 115 | 19.2 | 0 | 36 | 24 | 15.7 |
| Josh Downs | 9 | 6 | 57 | 9.5 | 1 | 17 | 15 | 5.8 |
| Tyler Warren | 7 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 1.9 |
| Jonathan Taylor | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Tyler Goodson | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | — |
| Adonai Mitchell | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7.0 |
| Ameer Abdullah | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 |
| Mo Alie-Cox | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — | 13.0 |
Pittsburgh Steelers — Receiving
| PLAYER | TGT | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | YAC | aDOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Austin III | 6 | 5 | 56 | 11.2 | 0 | 18 | 38 | 7.0 |
| Darnell Washington | 6 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 0 | 13 | 11 | 6.3 |
| Kenneth Gainwell | 5 | 4 | 35 | 8.8 | 0 | 16 | 40 | — |
| Pat Freiermuth | 4 | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 5.3 |
| Jonnu Smith | 5 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 12 | 22 | 3.2 |
| Kaleb Johnson | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 14 | — |
| D.K. Metcalf | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Roman Wilson | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | — |
| Jaylen Warren | 2 | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 0 | — | 4 | — |
Rushing Stats
Jonathan Taylor came into Acrisure Stadium as the NFL’s leading rusher. He left with 45 yards on 14 carries, a season low, kept to short gains throughout. Pittsburgh’s front seven had him contained well before the turnovers made the game irrelevant.
Jaylen Warren’s two touchdowns were both short-yardage finishes: one from the one, one from the two. His 16-carry, 31-yard afternoon was not pretty, but Warren scored when it mattered.
| PLAYER | TEAM | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | YBC/ATT | YAC/ATT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Taylor | IND | 14 | 45 | 3.2 | 0 | 9 | 0.8 | 2.4 |
| Daniel Jones | IND | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | 1 | 2 | 0.3 | 1.0 |
| Ameer Abdullah | IND | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Rodney Thomas II | IND | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 16 | 31 | 1.9 | 2 | 8 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
| Connor Heyward | PIT | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| Kaleb Johnson | PIT | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Kenneth Gainwell | PIT | 3 | -1 | -0.3 | 0 | 5 | -1.3 | 1.0 |
| Aaron Rodgers | PIT | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Defense, Pass Rush, and Turnovers
Laiatu Latu had the best game of his young career on the Indianapolis side. The second-year edge rusher recorded 2.5 sacks, five total pressures, and earned an 84.7 PFF initial grade. Germaine Pratt led all Colts defenders with eight tackles and posted an 80.1 grade.
Pittsburgh’s front was just as active. Alex Highsmith finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a 90.1 PFF initial grade. Watt added a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Heyward’s 90.5 grade led everyone on the field.
In coverage, Payton Wilson was Pittsburgh’s best defender all afternoon: 14 total tackles, one interception, two pass breakups. Joey Porter Jr. added eight tackles, an interception, and four pass breakups from the boundary. Jack Sawyer picked up the third Pittsburgh interception in the fourth quarter to kill Indianapolis’ final serious drive.
Pittsburgh Steelers — Defense
| PLAYER | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | QB HTS | INT | PD | FF | PFF GRADE* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payton Wilson | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — |
| Joey Porter Jr. | 8 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — |
| Brandin Echols | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Keeanu Benton | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Jalen Ramsey | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Darius Slay | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Patrick Queen | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Cameron Heyward | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 90.5 |
| Kyle Dugger | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Alex Highsmith | 4 | 3 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 90.1 |
| Malik Harrison | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| T.J. Watt | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 89.1 |
| Jack Sawyer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
Indianapolis Colts — Defense
| PLAYER | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | QB HTS | INT | PD | FF | PFF GRADE* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germaine Pratt | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 80.1 |
| Laiatu Latu | 6 | 4 | 2.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84.7 |
| Zaire Franklin | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Nick Cross | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Mekhi Blackmon | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Neville Gallimore | 5 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| DeForest Buckner | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Jaylon Jones | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| Camryn Bynum | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Grover Stewart | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kwity Paye | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kenny Moore | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
*PFF initial grades, subject to final review.
Interceptions
| PLAYER | TEAM | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payton Wilson | PIT | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Jack Sawyer | PIT | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Joey Porter Jr. | PIT | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Total | 3 | 21 | 0 | |
| Indianapolis Total | 0 | — | 0 |
Fumbles
| PLAYER | TEAM | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Jones | IND | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tyler Warren | IND | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Camryn Bynum | IND | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| IND Total | 4 | 3 | 2 | |
| Roman Wilson | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | PIT | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brandin Echols | PIT | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derrick Harmon | PIT | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| PIT Total | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Kicking and Punting
| PLAYER | TEAM | FG | FG% | LG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Badgley | IND | 2/2 | 100% | 53 | 2/2 | 8 |
| Chris Boswell | PIT | 2/2 | 100% | 46 | 3/3 | 9 |
| PLAYER | TEAM | PUNTS | YDS | AVG | LG | IN 20 | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigoberto Sanchez | IND | 2 | 110 | 55.0 | 57 | 1 | 0 |
| Corliss Waitman | PIT | 5 | 252 | 50.4 | 67 | 2 | 0 |
Kick and Punt Returns
| PLAYER | TEAM | KR | KR YDS | KR AVG | KR LG | PR | PR YDS | PR AVG | PR LG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ameer Abdullah | IND | 3 | 74 | 24.7 | 27 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Ashton Dulin | IND | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 26 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Josh Downs | IND | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 12 |
| Ke’Shawn Williams | PIT | 3 | 74 | 24.7 | 30 | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 15 |
Full Team Stats
| STAT | IND | PIT |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 368 | 225 |
| Passing Yards (Net) | 313 | 187 |
| Rushing Yards | 55 | 38 |
| Total Plays | 74 | 61 |
| Yards per Play | 5.0 | 3.7 |
| 1st Downs | 26 | 17 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 17 | 10 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 6 | 4 |
| Penalty 1st Downs | 3 | 3 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 6/14 (43%) | 4/12 (33%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 5/5 (100%) | 1/2 (50%) |
| Red Zone (Scores/Att) | 2/2 (100%) | 4/6 (67%) |
| Turnovers | 6 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 3 | 1 |
| INTs Thrown | 3 | 0 |
| Sacks Allowed | 5 (-29 yds) | 3 (-16 yds) |
| Penalties | 5 (53 yds) | 8 (46 yds) |
| Time of Possession | 31:55 | 28:05 |
| Air Yards | 243 | 53 |
| Yards After Catch (YAC) | 99 | 151 |
| Explosive Passes (15+ yds) | 10 | 2 |
| Explosive Pass Yards | 202 | 34 |
What This Game Came Down To
Indianapolis out-gained Pittsburgh by 143 yards, converted all five fourth downs, and held the ball for nearly four minutes more. A cleaner afternoon from Jones and this is a different game entirely.
Six turnovers in a road game against a desperate defense is a combination that produces one outcome. Pittsburgh’s defense collected three interceptions from three different players, held the NFL’s leading rusher to a season low, and got the vintage pressure-and-takeaway performance that had gone missing since its 4-1 start.
As a reference for the full Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers player stats from Week 9, the numbers above capture every major contributor on both sides. The margin on the scoreboard understated just how complete Pittsburgh’s defensive effort was once that second quarter unraveled.
Stats sourced from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and official NFL game data. PFF grades reflect initial post-game figures and are subject to final review.
