The primetime showdown at Acrisure Stadium tomorrow between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts will bring in a different mindset from both teams. While the Colts are riding high and have just one loss in their 2025 season, the Steelers will look to bounce back after two consecutive losses. But just before the showdown, the Steelers’ head coach, Mike Tomlin, revealed his strategy for the team’s approach against the Colts’ strong offense.

“It depends on how their run game is going,” Mike Tomlin mentioned in his latest interview with Steelers.com. “If their running game is rolling and on schedule, they minimize his (Jones) exposure to the defense. They change the launch point, they run quick games… So I think the real catalyst in terms of how you attack Daniel Jones is first and foremost working to minimize Jonathan Taylor… because when he’s rolling, they don’t punt.”

Colt’s offense is soaring high, and they are currently at the number one spot in offensive ranking with an average offense yardage of 385.3 and 32 offensive touchdowns. They are also at the top spot in terms of points per game (33.8), 6th in rushing yards per game (134.4), and 6th in passing yards per game (250.9).

Mike Tomlin also talked about Colt’s impressive punt stats. In seven games, the Colts have punted only 12 times. This is not just the fewest punts in the current season, but with an average of 1.7 punts per game, this is the fewest punts in the entire NFL history.  Apart from the collective effort, individual stats also speak for the Colts’ offensive danger to opponents, which Tomlin also mentioned.

Colts quarterback Daniel Jones ranks 4th in passing yards coverage (2,062) with 13 touchdowns and is tied at the 2nd rank with a QBR of 79.2. Additionally, Taylor has been named Player of the Month for October, having totaled a substantial 529 yards from scrimmage, 10 total touchdowns, and an average of 6.6 yards per carry in the run game. All of this will be up against the struggling Steelers’ defense.

The Steelers are currently at the 30th spot in terms of total yards allowed per game (386.0). At the current pace, the Steelers’ defense will soon allow the most total yards per game in franchise history and surpass their 1988 record. The team is allowing 273.3 passing yards per game, which is the worst statistic in the 2025 NFL season.

The team has allowed 30 points in their last two games, which is similar to the two games they had in the last season. With such stats and poor performance, shutting down star performers like Jones and Taylor will be a yeoman’s task. However, Tomlin remains hopeful about the Steelers’ defense.

Mike Tomlin believes the defense can improve

During the offseason, Tomlin appeared on a  local radio station and said the team’s defense can do “historical things.” But things have turned quite opposite of that.

After allowing the Green Bay Packers to throw for 360 yards and three touchdowns, the Steelers have fallen to the last spot in passing defense. Two days after the game, Mike Tomlin showed concern regarding the struggling defense during a press conference.

“We didn’t produce the type of plays that counteract those things and get the balance back in our favor,” Tomlin said. He then talked about how the defense can still improve.  

“We’re going to get back to work. We certainly believe that we work in the right spirit. We do the right things environmentally. We’re going to get back to work and wait for our opportunity to rectify it.” Mike Tomlin said.

Till now, apart from Tomlin’s hope, nothing has looked positive about the Steelers’ defense. And now, when they will have to deal with the season’s strongest offensive unit, the challenges will become complicated and difficult to conquer.