JJ Watt Sends Alarming Update To Steelers Fans About Playing The Colts
The Pittsburgh Steelers may lead the all-time series against the Indianapolis Colts, but history won’t matter when these two teams meet on Sunday. Pittsburgh has lost the last two matchups against Indianapolis, both under Head Coach Shane Steichen, who has now defeated Mike Tomlin twice. Steichen orchestrated a 30-13 win over the Steelers in 2023 and followed it up with a close 27-24 victory in 2024. Those results have made it clear that the Colts have figured out a way to challenge Pittsburgh consistently in recent seasons.
The Colts, led by quarterback Daniel Jones, are 7-1 and arguably the hottest team in the NFL right now. Their offense has been clicking, and their defense has shown the ability to make crucial stops when it matters most. Meanwhile, the Steelers have dropped two straight games in disappointing fashion, raising questions about their consistency and ability to execute under pressure. For Pittsburgh, an upset win over Indianapolis would be a massive boost and could help reverse the team’s momentum.
However, former NFL superstar pass rusher turned analyst JJ Watt doesn’t see an easy path for the Steelers. Watt warned that this matchup could be brutal for Pittsburgh while speaking on
"I would say very different vibes right now," Watt said while speaking with McAfee on Wednesday. "Very different vibes in Pittsburgh just from a couple weeks ago... if the Ravens get a win on Thursday night, the vibes are just completely different over the course of a couple weeks. From the Colts' standpoint, just this morning, I was going through the film again. If you just look at it from a defensive coordinator standpoint... you are just drinking through a fire hose man."
The timing couldn’t be worse for the Steelers, as Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin has been under fire for several seasons and once again in the 2025 season.
Despite having a ton of talent on the defense, he still hasn’t been able to get the unit to consistently stop giving up an absurd amount of yards per game or plug the persistent leaks.
"They run all different motions," Watt said. "They run their playbook out of shotgun or they run it out of under center. They run it out of under condensed formations or they spread it out. They can run the ball with Jonathan Taylor or they can run an RPO that looks exactly the same and slip the ball in behind to Pittman. They have Alec Pierce... they have Tyler Warren... there is just a million different ways. And then oh yeah to top it all off, their offensive line can block for 15 seconds and give Danny Dimes all day long to protect."
According to Watt, that is about the worst news Steelers fans could hear ahead of this matchup with the Colts.
Steelers Have Awesome Opportunity To Regain Momentum In 2025 Season
The Steelers have an awesome opportunity to regain momentum in the 2025 season. The Colts are viewed as a legitimately top team in the NFL, and a win over them would quickly erase the sting of Pittsburgh’s last two disappointing losses.
However, it won’t be easy, as the Colts’ offense is loaded with weapons capable of exploiting a reeling and struggling Steelers defense. Pittsburgh will need to play near-perfect football to pull off an upset and prove they belong among the league’s contenders.
First Round Pick Called ‘Biggest Disappointment’ for Broncos
While Denver Broncos rookie cornerback Jahdae Barron has been looked at as somewhat of a failure in terms of how he was supposed to fit in the NFL’s best defense, last week’s 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys might be a turning point for both Barron and his team.
To this point, Barron has not met the expectations placed on him as Denver’s first round pick (No. 20 overall). Getting his first interception against the Cowboys along big opening with cornerback Patrick Surtain II out for the next 3 weeks could change the narrative quickly.
If he doesn’t, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon already has Barron tagged as the team’s “Biggest Disappointment” through the first 2 months of the regular season.
“Patrick Surtain II has set the bar seriously high for first-round cornerbacks in Denver, and it’s too early to become concerned here,” Gagnon wrote. “That said, the rookie No. 20 overall pick has yet to earn a major role and has played just a quarter of the team’s defensive snaps. He’s got the fifth-lowest defensive PFF grade on the team.”
The Broncos are one of the NFL’s hottest teams — they’re 6-2 and and have won 4 consecutive games headed into a Week 9 road game against the Houston Texans in which Barron will likely play a big part in picking up the slack in Surtain’s absence.
Barron Forced to Sit and Learn Behind Stars
To this point, Barron hasn’t managed to crack the starting lineup not just at outside cornerback, but he’s listed behind Ja’Quan McMillan at slot cornerback.
Through 8 games, Barron has 12 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recover and 3 pass deflections and has made 1 start — he’s also only been on the field for 24 percent of Denver’s defensive snaps along with 21 percent of their special teams snaps.
In Barron’s defense, cracking a lineup that features 2 of the NFL’s elite cornerbacks in Surtain and Riley Moss wasn’t quite as easy as the experts predicted it would be.
Projected as Dark Horse NFL Defensive ROY
Some of the more over the top projections for Barron might have skewed expectations for him before his rookie year.
“This Is Football” podcast host Kevin Clark put Barron at the top of his list of “Instant Impact Rookies” on April 30.
“(Barron) has enough versatility to line up at corner, safety, slot outside and is a dime linebacker,” Clark said. “He can kind of do everything. And I’m already looking at this Denver defense and seeing where he’s going to fit in really easily and there’s playmakers all over the place … I’m having a hard time seeing Barron not being an instant impact star and that Broncos team winning a bunch of games this year.”
It’s not hard to see where that kind of hype comes from.
Barron won the Jim Thorpe Award at the University of Texas in 2024 and followed that up by running the 40-yard dash in a blazing, 4.39 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.
If we’re looking for reason that Barron is off to a slow start, one of them might be that he was one of the last first round picks to sign his contract, inking a 4-year, $18.01 million deal on July 16, which was almost 3 months after he was drafted.
