
The Colts have the best record in the NFL at 7-1 and lead the league in scoring with an average of 33.8 points a game as they get set to visit the Steelers on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. It will be a great challenge for the Steelers (4-3), whose porous defense ranks 30th in the NFL in total yards allowed. Furthermore, the Steelers are last in the NFL in pass defense.
"Been watching the video over the last 48 hours or so," Tomlin said of the Colts on Tuesday during his weekly news conference. "It is telling to be quite honest with you, starting first and foremost with their offense. They're high scoring. They don't punt very often (seven times in eight games this season). The way that they're getting that done is pretty black and white."
Running back Jonathan Taylor spearheads the offense and rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including one on an 80-yard run, as the Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 38-14 last Sunday. He also caught a 19-yard TD pass from Daniel Jones.
Taylor's 143 carries, 850 rushing yards, and 12 rushing TDs lead the NFL. The Colts are sixth in the league in rushing.
"He's significant," Tomlin said. "He's got great stop/start ability. He's got great short-area burst and vision. He's got the long speed to finish plays, as evidenced by the 80-yarder that he had last week. But he's always been explosion-play capable. When you play a guy like that, it's really an all-day job. Because of that home run-hitting ability, we've got to do a really good job of setting the edges and certainly being in the appropriate gaps."
Jones has been a revelation in his first season with the Colts after signing with them as a free agent in the offseason. His 71.2 completion percentage is a career high, and he has 2,062 passing yards while throwing 13 touchdown passes. Jones struggled for most of the first six seasons of his career with the New York Giants, who had a 24-44-1 record in his 69 starts.
"He's at the sticks of a really good offense," Tomlin said. "They're running the ball, taking care of it. He's got some eligibles that have been together. He just looks really comfortable in the structured system, and it's going really well for him."