(AP) — Benny Snell Jr. patiently awaited his first carry of the season.
Snell showed everyone what he could do when he finally got the chance, in prime time Week 12.
He ran for 62 yards and scored the winning touchdown with 9:55 left in the game. On Monday night, he watched as his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates held off an Indianapolis Colts comeback attempt to defeat them 24-17.
Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Steelers, stated, “We go to any guy wearing a helmet.”When he arrived, he was on the punt team, and he was occasionally promoted.
After Najee Harris limped off the field in the first half, the Steelers (4-7) had little choice. Snell took over after Harris was ruled out due to an injury to his abdomen.
With the Steelers trailing 17-16 and hundreds or thousands of Terrible Towels waving on third-and-goal, Snell found an open lane to the end zone with 12 carries, his highest rushing total since an 84-yard game on December 21, 2020. To make the score 24-17, Kenny Pickett passed to George Pickens for the two-point conversion.
The Steelers were able to match San Francisco for the most Monday night victories in league history thanks to Pittsburgh’s eighth consecutive victory in this lopsided series. When the 49ers defeated Arizona in Mexico City last week, they took an early lead.
Matt Ryan put the Colts (4-7-1) in position to score, but Indy lost a minute in three plays in Steelers territory before calling its first timeout on fourth down with 30 seconds left. On fourth-and-3 from the Steelers’ 26 and Ryan’s incomplete pass to Parris Campbell, Indy fell to 1-2 under interim coach Jeff Saturday.
Saturday, who had never coached at the professional or college level prior to his appointment as Frank Reich’s replacement by owner Jim Irsay, stated, “I thought we had plenty of time.”I wasn’t too worried because we had many timeouts.
This was not a time crunch; we simply did not make enough plays.
It was the Foals’ most memorable home Monday night game since September 2015 and the primary half was a finished failure.
Harris’ 6-yard touchdown run and Pittsburgh’s drive into Indy territory on each of its five possessions gave them a 16-3 lead. To a chorus of jeers, Colts players ran to the locker room.
However, the atmosphere changed when rookie Dallis Flowers returned the first kickoff of the second half 90 yards.
UPDATE ON INJURY
Tomlin stated that he was unsure of Harris’ diagnosis. Before leaving, Harris ran ten times for 35 yards. Additionally, cornerback Levi Wallace left the game late due to an unidentified injury.
Tomlin commented on Wallace’s departure, “We respect any decisions made regarding medical, but I don’t know where the decision came from.”
With a shin injury, Indy lost Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II. Tony Brown, who took his place, was defending Pickens on the two-point conversion.
STAT PACK
Steelers: On a Monday night, the only rookies to start for the Steelers were Pickett, Terry Bradshaw, and Bubby Brister. Diontae Johnson had five receptions for 49 yards, while Pickens caught three passes for 57 yards. In the third quarter, the Steelers gained a total of 18 yards.
Colts: After going 5 of 13 for 36 yards and a 14.6 rating in the first half, Ryan threw for 199 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. In his third consecutive game, Taylor ran 20 times for 86 yards and a touchdown….In the first quarter, Indy had no total yards.
MENTAL HEALTH PUSH
Irsay promoted his Kicking the Stigma mental health awareness campaign through the nationally televised game. Irsay announced prior to the game that nearly two dozen Indiana-based nonprofit and charitable organizations had received $1.4 million.
Up Next
Steelers: Up Next On Sunday, travel to Atlanta.
Colts: on Sunday night in Dallas.