AFC Divisional: Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts (RCA Dome), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 1:04pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Pittsburgh Steelers traveling to Indianapolis Colts at RCA Dome, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in RCA Dome shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Pittsburgh Steelers versus Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Pittsburgh Steelers-Indianapolis Colts cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | W6 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-11 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 11-5 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | W4 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-10 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 14-2 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 12-4 | W3 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-12 | L3 |
| Houston Texans | 2-14 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 13-3 | W4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-6 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 13-3 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5-11 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 11-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10-6 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9-7 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11-5 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 8-8 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-13 | L5 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1414212121 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0331818 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Antwaan Randle El 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) | 7-0 |
| Steelers | Heath Miller 7 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) | 14-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Mike Vanderjagt 20 yard field goal | 14-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jerome Bettis 1 yard rush ( Jeff Reed kick) | 21-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Colts | Dallas Clark 50 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) | 21-10 |
| Colts | Edgerrin James 3 yard rush ( Reggie Wayne pass from Peyton Manning ) | 21-18 |
| Steelers | Colts | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 15 |
| Total Yards | 295 | 305 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 14/24 | 22/38 |
| Pass yards | 197 | 290 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 5 |
| Sack yards lost | 14 | 43 |
| Net pass yards | 183 | 247 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 42 | 14 |
| Rush yards | 112 | 58 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties | 2 | 9 |
| Penalty yards | 8 | 67 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | |||||
| Ben Roethlisberger | 14/24 | 197 | 2 | 1 | |
| IND | |||||
| Peyton Manning | 22/38 | 290 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Willie Parker | 17 | 59 | 0 | 13 |
| Jerome Bettis | 17 | 46 | 1 | 9 |
| Verron Haynes | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Dan Kreider | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 5 | -3 | 0 | 1 |
| IND | ||||
| Edgerrin James | 13 | 56 | 1 | 15 |
| Dominic Rhodes | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | ||||
| Hines Ward | 3 | 68 | 0 | 45 |
| Heath Miller | 3 | 61 | 1 | 36 |
| Antwaan Randle El | 3 | 30 | 1 | 13 |
| Willie Parker | 3 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| Jerame Tuman | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Verron Haynes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| IND | ||||
| Reggie Wayne | 7 | 97 | 0 | 24 |
| Dallas Clark | 4 | 84 | 1 | 50 |
| Marvin Harrison | 3 | 52 | 0 | 24 |
| Edgerrin James | 5 | 26 | 0 | 8 |
| Bryan Fletcher | 2 | 18 | 0 | 11 |
| Brandon Stokley | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Indianapolis Colts 21-18 at RCA Dome in the AFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Colts: Edgerrin James 3 yard rush ( Reggie Wayne pass from Peyton Manning ). The result came down to the final possession; Pittsburgh Steelers won by 3. Top line of the day: Peyton Manning: 290 pass yards on 22-of-38, 1 TD, 0 INT. Pittsburgh Steelers move on to the conference final.
Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of RCA Dome as the team that survived an AFC Divisional Indianapolis Colts will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 21-18. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Colts: Edgerrin James 3 yard rush ( Reggie Wayne pass from Peyton Manning ). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Pittsburgh Steelers move on to a conference championship.
Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Indianapolis Colts 18. Round: AFC Divisional. Attendance: 57449. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Peyton Manning: 290 pass yards on 22-of-38, 1 TD, 0 INT - Willie Parker: 59 rush yards on 17 carries - Reggie Wayne: 7 catches for 97 yards
AFC Divisional, played at RCA Dome. Final: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Indianapolis Colts 18, with Pittsburgh Steelers taking the result by 3. **First quarter**
- Steelers: Antwaan Randle El 6 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) - Steelers: Heath Miller 7 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick)
**Second quarter**
- Colts: Mike Vanderjagt 20 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Steelers: Jerome Bettis 1 yard rush ( Jeff Reed kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Colts: Dallas Clark 50 yard pass from Peyton Manning ( Mike Vanderjagt kick) - Colts: Edgerrin James 3 yard rush ( Reggie Wayne pass from Peyton Manning )
**Top performers**
- Peyton Manning: 290 pass yards on 22-of-38, 1 TD, 0 INT - Willie Parker: 59 rush yards on 17 carries - Reggie Wayne: 7 catches for 97 yards
A 3-point margin in AFC Divisional is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.