Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 9 NFL Picks and Parlays 

Tomlin’s Titanic Defense vs. The Unstoppable Colts

How can you not talk about the Indianapolis Colts being No. 1 in the latest NFL power rankings At 7-1, they're absolutely steamrolling the AFC, and their offense with Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor is just a relentless, clock-chewing machine. They hang 30+ points like it’s a Tuesday afternoon, which sets up the most delicious kind of drama for this trip to Pittsburgh.

For the Steelers, it's a different kind of season. Head Coach Mike Tomlin, the man who never has a losing season, has his defense in a state of utter confusion. Tomlin went on local radio and boldly declared he believed this 2025 Pittsburgh defense could do “historic things.” Well, they are 30th in the league in yards against, and dead last against the pass. If that’s historic, it’s only because the franchise hasn’t been this bad on D since the 1980s. Things are not working out, Mike. Not even a little bit.

They’re giving up over 400 yards a game the last two weeks, just getting shredded, and have zero takeaways in October after being ball-hawks early on. Tomlin is basically saying, “We just gotta keep doing what we’re doing, and do it better,” which is the kind of coach-speak that drives a fan base nuts when the "doing" is watching Jones torch your secondary. 

Now they get the top-ranked team in the NFL, a Colts offense firing on all cylinders, at home. The oddsmakers have the Colts favored, which is a rare sight in the 'Burgh. This game is less about a rivalry and more about whether the Steelers’ "historic" defense can find its soul before it gets completely embarrassed by the league’s top squad. If the Colts drop another 30-burger, expect the heat on Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin to go from a simmer to a full-blown boil.

I like them for it, too. The Over/Under is set at 50.5, and the Colts offense has the ability to achieve high marks. They lead the league in average points per game (33.8) and Pittsburgh assists with a modest 25.