Oct 25, 2014 4 min read

The Pittsburgh Steelers no longer possess a defense that scares anyone.

Need proof?

Look no further than last Monday night’s 30-23 victory over the Houston Texans.

After allowing 17 unanswered points to the Steelers in the closing moments of the first half, Houston took control of the football trailing 17-13 at its own 20 with 1:03 remaining on the clock in the second quarter.

Yes, the Texans had all three timeouts remaining, but the reasonable thing to do would have been to run the ball twice or have the quarterback take a knee twice and head to the locker room to regroup.

After all, the Texans would get the ball to open the second half.

Instead, Houston head coach Bill O’Brien opted to have quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick drop back to pass, showing he had no fear that the Steelers could stop his team.

If O’Brien had Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning at quarterback, that would have been understandable. But if you look up journeyman quarterback in the dictionary, there’s a photo of Fitzpatrick next to the definition.

Fitzpatrick’s pass was tipped by defensive end Brett Keisel at the line of scrimmage, hit linebacker Lawrence Timmons in the head and bounced back into Keisel’s arms for an interception. Two plays later, the Steelers scored again to make it 24-13.

In this instance, the lack of respect for Pittsburgh’s defense played to the Steelers’ favor. But moving forward, it’s certainly going to be a factor.

The Steelers don’t do anything particularly well on defense.

They have just 10 sacks and are on pace for a franchise-low in that statistic. Even with the three forced turnovers against the Texans, the Steelers are tied for 19th in the league in takeaways with nine. And overall, the defense ranks 15th.

That’s not good heading into a game today against what has been the NFL’s best offense this season, the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts lead the NFL in total offense, averaging 452.9 yards per game, and only Denver at 31.5 points per game is ahead of Indianapolis, which is averaging 30.9.

That’s not a good matchup for these Steelers.

The Steelers are three-point underdogs against the Colts, who have won their past five games, and even that seems low.

Does Las Vegas know something? After all, this game opened with Indianapolis being favored by just 1 1/2 points.

Perhaps it’s a nod to the fact the Steelers are 5-1-1 against the spread as home underdogs since 2005.

Or perhaps the people who set the lines are giving the Steelers’ defense more respect than opponents have and will in future games this season.

In any case, look for the Colts to win this game and cover the spread.

Take Indianapolis in a 31-23 victory

Colt McCoy is expected to start for the Redskins at quarterback. Seriously.

Take Dallas, 31-13

The Bengals already beat the Ravens in Baltimore in Week 1, but look nothing like that team any longer.

Take Baltimore, 27-16

The Cardinals are 9-2 under head coach Bruce Arians at home, including 3-0 this season.

Take Arizona, 27-24

While this is a home game for the Falcons, it’s being played outdoors at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Take Detroit, 23-17

The Bears aren’t playing well at home. But heading to New England isn’t a cure for their ills, even against a banged-up Patriots defense.

Take Chicago to cover in a 27-24 loss

Both teams pulled off upsets last week, so there could be a letdown. I’ll take the home team.

Take Kansas City, 26-17

Seahawks have struggled on the road. But the Panthers are a banged-up bunch.

Take Seattle, 24-14

New Orleans is better at home than on the road. But Green Bay is better, period.

Take Green Bay, 34-27

The Jets can stop the run but Buffalo has no healthy running backs and won’t be tempted to run it.

Take Buffalo to cover in a 17-16 loss

Browns crashed back to earth last week in Jacksonville. But Oakland is the worst team in football.

Take Cleveland, 24-13

The Jags got their win last week.

Take Miami, 27-17

Rookie Zach Mettenberger makes his first career start at QB for Tennessee.

Take Houston, 23-17

The Bucs should be able to beat the Adrian Peterson-less Vikings, right?

Take Tampa Bay, 21-16

Last Week: 6-8 ATS, 9-5 Straight up

Overall: 48-50-1 ATS, 61-38 Straight up

F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com