The Pittsburgh Steelers are hunting for an undefeated September after starting 3-0. This week they face off against the Indianapolis Colts, who picked up their first win last week against Chicago. I spoke with Chris Shepherd of Stampede Blue to get a better idea of what to expect from a young Indy team that’s been battling through some injuries.

You can read my questions and his answers below:

1. After teasing his potential in limited playing time in 2023, Anthony Richardson has gotten off to a shaky start in 2024. What’s your honest evaluation of him so far?

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Nothing about my evaluation of him has changed. All of the reasons I was excited about him are still there, he still sees the field well, he works his reads and almost always makes the right decisions on where to go with the ball, he still has an absolute cannon for an arm and he’s still the only 6’4” 250 pound quarterback who ran a legit 4.4 second 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. On the other side of that all of the things there were to be concerned about are still there as well. He has moments where his upper and lower body aren’t on the same page and it results in wildly inaccurate throws… and well that’s really the main concern, granted it is a pretty big one. Accuracy is kind of a big deal.

This season has been shaky, no doubt about it. But I expected that. This weekend will be his 20th start since high school. In week one the time the offense moved the ball at all was when Richardson was the hero of the drive, if Ant didn’t make it happen, it just wasn’t going to. It seems like we’ve seen that mindset carry over into the last two weeks as well. Week two was rough for Richardson but his receivers also dropped several open passes. After last week’s game he was asked about the missed throws and he essentially said that he needs to slow down in situations when he sees his receiver open, gets excited and ends up throwing a bad ball.

For some guys that sort of an issue can become a long term mental block, it could turn into something that derails his career. That said, we’re nowhere near that territory yet. He is still the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL this season and Shane Steichen has still helped develop offenses around multiple young and talented NFL passers. If we’re having the same discussion in week four of 2025, then yeah, it might be time to panic. For now, this is what everyone should have expected and if we were all told this is what it would look like, why is anyone surprised by it?

2. Indianapolis has dealt with a multitude of injuries already this season. Key contributors like DeForest Buckner, Samson Ebukam, and Juju Brents have been placed on injured reserve. Guys like Kenny Moore II, Ryan Kelly, Kwity Paye and Tyquan Lewis have all missed practices this week. Who are some players that will need to step up for the Colts? And who have they missed the most so far this season?

If Kenny Moore were to miss a game it would absolutely be the biggest loss of the guys not currently on IR (It’s tough to overstate how important Buckner is to the defense). Moore isn’t fantastic in man to man, Colts fans online will often complain when Moore loses reps in man coverage, but when he’s in those underneath zones between the hashes and the numbers, Kenny Moore’s instincts and playmaking ability absolutely shine. He’s also a fantastic tackler for his size and is never afraid to come up and make a hit which is coincidentally why he has missed practice this week. Chris Lammons stepped into the slot role last week when Moore went out and wasn’t a liability, that said everyone hopes Moore is ready to go on Sunday.

Next on this list would be Ryan Kelly. Kelly calls out the protections for his 22 year old quarterback and his veteran presence is invaluable. The Colts did draft Tanor Bortilini out of Wisconsin in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft but it might not be a great idea to have the first two players who touch the ball on every offensive play to both be 22.

Tyquan Lewis and Kwity Paye are both very solid role and rotational players. Lewis is good all around and Kwity offers a lot against the run. After the first two disastrous games of the year the front seven looked much better in week three and losing either Paye or Lewis to an already beat up front seven would leave things open for Najee Harris to have a big day.

3. The Steelers’ defense is currently tied for the second-best against the run and fifth against the pass. How will the Colts try to handle the Steelers’ top-flight defense?

The Colts offense has yet to find its footing. The one thing they’ve hung their hat on thus far is the offensive line play and Jonathan Taylor’s ability to run the ball. In my opinion, if Indy is going to have any chance to win at all they’re going to have to play to their only strength this far and focus on the ground game. It might end up being an ugly game but they need to get Taylor going early and often and try to build some confidence in Richardson with plenty of quick hitters and a few different screen looks just to get him settled into the flow of the game. Avoiding T.J. Watt and getting that ball out quick is probably a good idea, too. Ultimately if they try to throw their way to the win in this one, I’m afraid they might as well not even show up to the stadium.

4. If the Colts leave Sunday with a victory, which players can we expect to be the X-factors for Indy?

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Offensively it will be Jonathan Taylor. Taylor looks like the all-pro back who led the league in rushing in 2021. He is running with great vision, unmatched patience and more burst than any nearly 230 pound running back should have. Quenton Nelson would be my honorable mention for offense, watching him and Cam Hayward is always a treat.

Defensively it will probably be safety Nick Cross. This is Cross’ third year in the NFL but his first as a starter and he has played really well so far. His man coverage skills, specifically locating the ball when it is in the air, leave a bit to be desired but he is a young player who is always around the ball and it sure seems like Cross is well on his way to becoming a very good NFL safety.

5. The Steelers have a slim advantage on the betting market (-1.5 on FanDuel). What’s your prediction for the final score?

Vegas is really, really good at that whole predicting outcomes thing. Frankly I think that line is just about perfect for this one. It’s going to be an ugly game and the team better at winning ugly games is probably going to win. Given the circumstances I wouldn’t bet against Mike Tomlin in this one.

Steelers 18, Colts 16

Don’t ask me how we get to those scores, this Indy team has been confusing and I’m predicting an equally confusing final in this one.