After the loss to Green Bay the week before, Aaron Rodgers had wasted no time in holding a team meeting just two days later. He sent a clear message, “Stay the course.” The Pittsburgh Steelers bounced back from heartbreak with a dominant 27-20 Week 9 victory against the Indianapolis Colts, who have the best offense in the NFL. So, ultimately, Pittsburgh’s defense stepped up in a major way, forcing six turnovers that the offense would capitalize on for easy scoring opportunities.​ That prompted the quarterback to call out his offense.

In a brutally honest assessment, Aaron Rodgers said after the win, “We gotta look in the mirror and play better on offense.” Last week, Rodgers had made it clear that the offensive performance fell short of their standards. Today, Rodgers finished 25 for 35 with 203 passing yards and one touchdown pass.

The Steelers scored early and often because their defense was simply unstoppable. It all started with a critical strip sack by defensive end TJ Watt in the second quarter. Watt ripped the ball loose from Daniel Jones for a loss of seven yards and recovered the fumble himself. This fumble recovery set up a 12-play, 56-yard touchdown drive for Pittsburgh to tie the game at 7-7. After that momentum shift, the Colts couldn’t recover.

Head coach Mike Tomlin praised Watt’s impact. “It was everything,” Tomlin said, according to an official statement. “We were running on the beach offensively. We needed a short field. Like all great players do, he provided it when we needed it most.”​

Things spiraled quickly for Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones. The seventh-year signal caller threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, totaling five turnovers on the afternoon. Pittsburgh linebacker Payton Wilson stepped up early by intercepting Jones and returning it to the Colts’ 14-yard line. This set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Rookie outside linebacker Jack Sawyer recorded his first career interception after Wilson deflected a pass intended for wide receiver Michael Pittman. Running back Jonathan Taylor, who had been an MVP-caliber performer throughout the season, leading the league with 850 rushing yards, was completely shut down.

Taylor managed just 45 yards on 14 carries. The Colts’ offensive struggles were unlike anything they had experienced all season.

Aaron Rodgers leads the Steelers to a redemption win

Coming into this game, Indianapolis had committed only four turnovers through its first eight games. Against Pittsburgh, they matched that total in a single afternoon. Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce both had solid receiving performances with over 100 yards each. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the turnover nightmare.

Despite gaining 368 total yards, a significant advantage over Pittsburgh’s 225 yards, the Colts’ mistakes proved catastrophic.​ After the loss to Green Bay the week before, Rodgers had wasted no time in holding a team meeting, asking his team to buckle up. And the team definitely lived up to that. Members of the Super Bowl XL-winning Steelers team, including former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, were in attendance at Acrisure Stadium to witness the Steelers’ win.

With the victory, Pittsburgh improved to 5-3 and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Colts fell to 7-2, ending their impressive four-game winning streak.​