NFL 
/ Andy Richmond / 25 September 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Ben Roethlisberger looks set to give the Colts' defence a torrid time
"We may be seeing plenty of the Colts on our screens but I’m not sure that many of those outings will be winning ones without Manning and it looks as though the Steelers could be in for a far easier contest than this looked before Manning got injured in pre-season."
The loss of the Indiana Colts' Peyton Manning to injury is a huge blow to the side and given their poor start to the season, there's every chance the Pittsburgh Steelers could overcome a big handicap.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts
Sunday September 25
Live on Channel 4 01:20
Match odds: Pittsburgh [1.20], Indianapolis [5.5]
Indianapolis have been a staple in the diet of prime-time NFL fans in the US for the past decade and they are once again slated for plenty of appearances. Unfortunately the Colts look likely to be without Peyton Manning as their signal caller for the whole season. The impact of missing Manning has led the Colts to a dreadful start and they are 0-2 for the first time since 1998, (Manning's rookie season) when they lost their first four games.
Troubled times in Indianapolis then and they won't be looking forward to the visit of the Steelers, who themselves have had to bounce back this season from a defeat on the opening day to arch-rivals Baltimore. Question marks had been posed about their supposedly ageing defence in that 35-7 loss to the Ravens, but they looked anything but old when shutting out the Seahawks in their home opener. They outgained Seattle 421-164 and held the ball for nearly 39 minutes in a 24-0 win, their first shutout since December 2008.
Although Head Coach Mike Tomlin was still unhappy with that opening day performance against the Ravens, a second straight game against a struggling offence could help. The Colts have converted just five of 23 third-down opportunities, 31st in the NFL and a far cry from what they've typically done to stay on the field with Manning under centre. If anything, the Steelers should have beaten Seattle far more easily and Tomlin and his quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be looking to execute even more efficiently against a Colts defence that could be in for another tough day. Manning's replacement Kerry Collins is really struggling to perform and convince; he doesn't move very well in the pocket and is a big target for opposing pass-rushers, of which the Steelers have plenty. Compounding this problem, the Colts' offensive line is littered with players who have below-average talent. Pittsburgh will come after Collins with a wide variety of pressure packages and touchdowns have been incredibly difficult for the Colts to come by.
We may be seeing plenty of the Colts on our screens but I'm not sure that many of those outings will be winning ones without Manning and it looks as though the Steelers could be in for a far easier contest than this looked before Manning got injured in pre-season. Double figure handicaps are hard to give away at any time but the Steelers look in uncompromising mood now and the Colts could easily be blown away.
Recommended Bet
Back Pittsburgh Steelers -10.5 @ [2.0] or better
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