Kyle Dugger didn't have much time to learn the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense, yet it wasn't easy to tell during the safety's first game with his new team.

Dugger stepped into the Steelers' starting lineup on Sunday, just three days after joining the team following his acquisition in a trade with the New England Patriots. Dugger immediately made an impact at strong safety, notching four tackles while starter DeShown Elliott (knee) and backup Chuck Clark (illness) were sidelined.

The Steelers held the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL's highest-scoring team, to two touchdowns in a 27-20 victory at Acrisure Stadium. The Colts also entered the game first in total offense, while the Steelers were 30th in total defense among the league's 32 teams.

Dugger played a significant role in the Steelers holding Jonathan Taylor to 45 yards rushing on 14 carries. Taylor had averaged 106.5 yards in the Colts' first eight games. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin awarded a game ball to Dugger.

"This guy got on the moving train, and played a lot of defense for us, and we needed it," Tomlin said. "We were really short at the safety position. Coupled with DeShone Elliott's injury. We have some illnesses, and soft tissue injuries. We're running super thin, and that dude came in here and gave us some quality work. We're certainly appreciative of that."

Dugger started just four of the Patriots' first eight games this season. He had fallen out of favor with first-year coach Mike Vrabel.

However, the depleted Steelers were happy to give a sixth-round draft pick in 2026 in exchange for Dugger and a seventh-round pick in next year's draft. Dugger immediately helped steady the defense, which had allowed 56 points and 924 total yards in losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers during the previous two weeks.

Tomlin thought Dugger's debut with the Steelers was reminiscent of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick's debut with the franchise. That came in Week 3 of the 2019 season after the Steelers acquired him from the Miami Dolphins. Despite a short week of practice, Fitzpatrick had an interception and a forced fumble in the Steelers' 24-20 road loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

"He's a veteran guy, and that's why you go get a veteran capable guy like that," Tomlin said of Dugger. "We got (Fitzpatrick) at a similar time in the week. We were in the Bay Area, and he fit in instantly. His talent showed. He made plays with us. Felt similarly with the contributions we were able to get from Dugger."