When Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Jr. went down with a hip injury on Sunday, it seemed like the Pittsburgh Steelers would have an easier time trying to stop 39-year-old Joe Flacco.
That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Flacco carved up what was the top defense in the NFL coming into the game and finished the game with 168 passing yards and two passing touchdowns on the way to the Colts 27-24 upset of the Steelers.
After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about going against a familiar face like Flacco and why the Steelers struggled. At that point, Tomlin offered up an excuse but one few fans are going to take comfort in.
“When you work all week to defend Richardson and then you get Flacco, it’s a little bit different,” Tomlin said. “It probably took us a little too long to adapt and adjust in some areas.”
The notion that a unit claiming to be the best defense in the NFL couldn’t adjust to Flacco quickly enough to keep themselves in the game is crazy in today’s NFL. The Colts kept the Steelers pass rush in check and Pittsburgh seemed lost as to how to cover a group of Colts receivers who were off to a very slow start this season.
