Steelers’ TJ Watt sends message after ‘smashing’ Colts’ run game

Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt knew exactly what won them the game. Minutes after a 27–20 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Watt laid out the blueprint that flipped the game: “It started with smashing the run first and foremost. Playing fast, playing physical football, playing simplified football,” he said in an interview shared by reporter Mike DeFabo on X.

Pittsburgh mauled the trenches, held Indianapolis to 55 rushing yards on 19 attempts, and turned Daniel Jones into a turnover machine. The Steelers forced six takeaways and piled up five sacks

, a throwback brand of chaos that powered 24 unanswered points after trailing 7–0. Jaylen Warren finished the drives with two short touchdowns, while Aaron Rodgers managed the game with 203 yards

and a 12-yard strike to Pat Freiermuth.

The sequence that changed everything looked familiar to Steelers fans. Watt knifed around the edge for a second-quarter strip sack, Alex Highsmith kept the heat on all afternoon, and the secondary feasted. Rookie linebacker Payton Wilson and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. grabbed interceptions as Pittsburgh turned short fields into points and a two-score cushion it never lost.

Numbers back it up. Jonathan Taylor, the league’s leading rusher coming in, managed 45 yards on 14 carries. Jones stacked yards late (342, 1 TD) but coughed up

three interceptions and two lost fumbles under relentless pressure. Pittsburgh’s offense didn’t need style points; it needed mistake-free football and field position. It got both.

If there was a single “turning point,” local radio pegged Watt’s strip sack as the spark that woke up Acrisure Stadium. From there, the Steelers’ rush and coverage tied together, the tackling tightened, and Mike Tomlin’s group closed like a veteran unit.

The message afterward was simple. Pittsburgh cleaned up the run fits, hunted takeaways, and played on its terms. For a defense that took it on the chin the past two weeks, this was a needed course correction and a reminder of the ceiling when No. 90 sets the tempo. Smash the run, speed the game up, and let the ball find you. On Sunday, it did, six times.

Bills Injury Nightmare Deepens – 19 Players Sidelined as Season Hangs in the Balance

Even warmups weren’t safe for the Buffalo Bills on Monday night.

Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones injured his calf during pregame warmups. And unfortunately, that was just the beginning.

By the end of the night, five more players had left the game with injuries, not including quarterback Josh Allen, who grimaced and held his left arm after taking a sack in the second quarter.

The Bills limped to the finish line in a 24–14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Buffalo now enters its bye week at 4–2, after an opening stretch that has brutally tested the team’s depth across all three phases of the roster.

Players on Injured Reserve or Ruled Out Before the Game

LB Matt Milano (pectoral) – Missed his third game of the season after re-aggravating a pectoral injury in Week 5. Head coach Sean McDermott called him “week to week.” Milano has missed 28 games since 2023.
TE Dalton Kincaid (oblique) – Inactive for Week 6 after testing his injury in pregame warmups. Kincaid was coming off a career-high
108 yards receiving in Week 5 and leads the team with 287 yards and 3 TDs.
WR Curtis Samuel (neck/ribs) – Missed Week 6. Between injuries and scratches, he’s played just two games this year (3 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD).
S Damar Hamlin (pectoral) – Injured in practice Oct. 9 and placed on IR. Eligible to return Week 11, though McDermott says it’s “up in the air” if he’ll be back this season.
DT T.J. Sanders (knee) – Placed on IR after suffering a knee injury in practice Oct. 1 that required surgery. The rookie could return in Week 11.
K Tyler Bass (left hip/groin) – On IR since Sept. 5 after missing most of training camp and two preseason games. Eligible to return in Week 5.
CB Maxwell Hairston (knee) – Rookie first-rounder suffered an LCL sprain July 29; eligible to return in Week 5.
DT DeWayne Carter (Achilles) – Tore his Achilles before Week 1; out for the season.
OL Tylan Grable (concussion) – Entered concussion protocol Aug. 7.
P Cameron Johnston (foot/ankle) – Suffered left leg injuries in Week 4 after being hit on a punt; eligible to return Week 9.
CB Dorian Strong (neck) – Rookie sixth-rounder played four games before a neck injury landed him on IR Oct. 4; eligible to return Week 10.
S Wande Owens (undisclosed) – Waived Aug. 23 with injury designation.

(* denotes player currently on IR)*

Injuries During Warmups Before Monday’s Game

DT DaQuan Jones (calf) – Hurt during pregame warmups and ruled out before kickoff. Seen leaving the locker room in a walking boot postgame.

Injuries During Monday Night Football in Week 6

WR Joshua Palmer (ankle) – Left after being dragged down on a hip-drop tackle in the second quarter; did not return.
CB Christian Benford (Achilles) – Suffered a non-contact injury in the second quarter but returned in the second half.
LB Terrel Bernard (ankle) – Rolled his ankle in a pileup and did not re-enter the game.
QB Josh Allen (left hand/wrist) – Shook his left hand in pain after a sack but did not miss any plays. Later told reporters, “I’m fine. I’m completely healthy.”
C Connor McGovern (leg) – Kicked in the left leg in the second quarter, missed one play, then returned. Allen was sacked for a 15-yard loss on that lone snap.
S Cole Bishop (cramping) – Left briefly in the second half and returned with 6:43 left in the fourth quarter.

Buffalo’s injury list continues to grow at an alarming rate, leaving the team dangerously thin across multiple positions. The Bills will desperately need the bye week to regroup, heal, and hopefully return some key contributors ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.