The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) handed the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) their first loss of the season, taking down the AFC South foe by a score of 27-24.
Despite Anthony Richardson leaving the game due to injury on the second drive, Joe Flacco kept the offense afloat while the defense did just enough to secure the victory. The Colts have now won two straight to get back to .500 after the first month of the season.
Pro Football Focus feels the Colts were led to victory by their top two receivers on Sunday afternoon. Let’s look at the five players who graded out the highest for the Colts on Sunday and analyze their performances.
Note: The player must have played at least 25% of the snaps to be eligible.
In only his second game back from a high-ankle sprain, Josh Downs was back to his old form. Downs made crucial plays all over the field, picking up where he left off during an impressive training camp. Downs finished with eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Downs took the crown for the highest-graded Colts player against the Steelers, with an overall grade of 90.5. His receiving grade of 90.1 was tops on the Colts after leading the team in catches. Downs also captured the highest drop grade of 76.5 after recording zero drops in nine targets.
Downs immediately had a positive impact on the Colts’ offense upon his return to the field. The second-year wide receiver looks poised for a big year if he can remain healthy.
Downs was not the only Colts’ wide receiver to catch fire against the Steelers. Michael Pittman Jr. had his best game of 2024 after a slow start to the season. Pittman hauled in six catches for 113 yards, making big plays all over the field.
Pittman’s performance earned him the second-highest mark for the Colts, finishing with an 88.2 overall grade. Pittman was right behind Downs with an 88.9 receiving grade as he led the team in yards. His 74.6 drop grade was also second to Downs, as Pittman did not record a drop in nine targets.
The Colts desperately needed to get Pittman going with more targets and opportunities in the passing game. Indy’s WR1 has proven over the years that good things happen when the ball is in his hands.
The defense for the Colts saw a familiar face leading the way against the Steelers. Grover Stewart impacted the game in multiple ways to help lead the charge for a banged-up defensive line. Stewart tallied two tackles, 0.5 sacks, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection.
Stewart comes in as the third-highest-graded Colt for Week 4 at 84.4 overall. While Stewart is not known for his pass-rushing prowess, he received the second-highest pass-rushing grade on the team at 83.7 after registering three pressures and two hurries to go along with the 0.5 sacks. Big Grove’s 68.6 run defense grade ranked fourth on the team.
PFF believes Stewart is in the midst of a career year, as the Colts’ defensive tackle is currently tied for the No.4 ranking among interior defensive linemen with teammate DeForest Buckner. Once Buckner returns from his high-ankle sprain, the Colts will have the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL yet again.
While his name has not been mentioned much, Jaylon Carlies is putting together a solid rookie campaign. The fifth-round pick has settled in as the Colts’ third linebacker and has found himself in positions to make plays. Carlies racked up four tackles against the Steelers offense on Sunday.
Carlies produced his highest-graded game as a pro and the fourth-highest for the Colts, finishing with an 82.3 overall grade. The former college safety tallied an 85.3 coverage grade, tops on the Colts, after not allowing a catch and only a 39.6 passer rating when targeted. Carlies’ 77.9 tackle grade ranked third on the Colts as the rookie recorded a stop and no missed tackles.
Carlies has been a revelation for the Colts and is finding himself on the field for more snaps as the season has progressed. While he still has a ways to go, Carlies is quickly becoming the best coverage linebacker on Indy’s roster.
Samuel Womack III has been on the Colts for barely a month after being claimed on waivers. With the season-ending injury to JuJu Brents, Womack finds himself thrust into the starting lineup and has been making plays. Womack only recorded one tackle against the Steelers but was a menace in coverage with two pass deflections.
Womack rounds out the top five highest-graded Colts for Week 4, with a 77.2 overall grade. Womack’s 77.4 coverage grade ranked second on the Colts, as the cornerback allowed one catch for 12 yards and a quarterback rating of only 68.8 on the day. His two pass deflections also led the Colts on the afternoon, giving the Steelers wide receivers fits.
Womack has gone from being cut by the San Francisco 49ers to a starter with the Colts in the blink of an eye. And after his performance over the first month, the Colts are glad they took a chance on the third-year pro.
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