The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for the 2024 regular season, and with it being the team’s fourth game fans’ hopes remain high heading into the second quarter of the season. The hope is there is a winning performance on the horizon on Sunday in Week 4 when the team travels to play the Colts in Indianapolis.

What exactly do the Steelers need to do to on offense to claim their fourth victory of 2024? Let’s break it down…

Offense

Keep Pounding

It has been well-documented how the Colts defense struggles vs. the run, but it’s a huge key in this game. Heading into Week 4 the Indianapolis defense is surrendering 179 yards per game, this ranks 31st in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Steelers offense is averaging 130.7 yards per game, 12th in the league.

I fully expect the Colts to load the box and force the game into Justin Fields’ hands, but this is a game where the Steelers shouldn’t overthink the game plan. Have play action passes dialed up to soften up the defense, then run the ball with authority like the final six minutes of the Chargers game last week.

Convert

The Indianapolis defense has its struggles, and the run defense isn’t the only one. The Colts are giving up a 50% conversion rate on third downs, which ranks 28th in the league. On top of that, they are tied for 26th in the league for red-zone conversion rate by allowing 66% of opponents trips into the red-zone equate in touchdowns.

If the Steelers can keep drives going and convert when they reach the red-zone they will dictate how the Colts play on offense. Converting in those specific situations will be paramount.

Keep It Clean

Last week was the first game of the 2024 season where the Steelers surrendered a turnover, a Justin Fields interception which seemingly touched 12 of the 22 players on the field before being corralled by Bud Dupree. The Colts defense isn’t really taking it away at a ridiculous clip, with four total takeaways on the season (2 INTS and 2 FR), but you don’t tempt fate in this regard.

If the Steelers want to remain perfect, they can’t hand the ball to the opposition and allow good field position and extra possessions.

I talk about this, and MUCH more on the “Let’s Ride”, and you can hear that podcast in the player below this article. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they gear up for game time!