SPORTS BUSINESS

Colts cite red-zone failures, missed tackles in 34-22 Week 5 loss at Steelers

The Indianapolis Colts, on their official site, said red-zone miscues and missed tackles contributed to a 34-22 Week 5 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team converted 1 of 3 trips inside the 20 into a touchdown, was credited with eight missed tackles and cited long Steelers scoring plays as pivotal.

BUSINESSINDY BRIEFBy BusinessIndy Editorial StaffCommentsPublished October 11, 2026 at 5:40 PM EDT

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Colts cite red-zone failures, missed tackles in 34-22 Week 5 loss at Steelers — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

The Indianapolis Colts, in a report on their official website, recapped a Week 5 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, 34-22. The Colts reached the Steelers' three- and 10-yard lines in the second half and had three trips inside the 20-yard line — a first-and-goal on each — but scored a touchdown on only one of those possessions; tight end Tyler Warren had a one-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Kicker Spencer Shrader connected on attempts from 56 and 57 yards on two other short tries.

Pro Football Focus tagged the Colts with eight missed tackles in the game, including plays that led to Jaylen Warren's 80-yard touchdown reception and a 50-yard touchdown run. Defensive end Laiatu Latu said, "We definitely shouldn't let that happen." Head coach Shane Steichen said the team must improve red-zone play-calling and execution and "go back to the fundamentals of technique." The Colts also noted Anthony Gould and Seth McGowan had "impressive days" on kickoff returns and described the kick and punt coverage units as "stellar."

WHY IT MATTERS

The report lets readers see which in-game failures the Colts and coaches identified as decisive and what to watch next. "Red zone" refers to offensive possessions that start inside the opponent’s 20-yard line; teams typically try to score touchdowns there because touchdowns yield more points than field goals. The Colts entered Week 5 ranked sixth in the NFL in red-zone touchdown rate (scoring on 75% of trips) and had previously converted all nine of their goal-to-go drives into touchdowns. In this game the team converted only one of three trips inside the 20, and two short possessions produced long field goals instead of touchdowns — an outcome the article says changed the second-half complexion and helped the Steelers open a two-score lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Missed tackles had a clear, direct effect: Pro Football Focus credited the Colts with eight missed tackles, and the article links those misses to long Pittsburgh scoring plays, including an 80-yard reception and a 50-yard run. Coach Shane Steichen’s comments about returning to tackling fundamentals and improving red-zone play-calling give specific things to monitor. The next milestone to watch is how the Colts address those areas in their upcoming game plans and public comments — specifically, any changes in red-zone play-calling, red-zone conversion rate, and game-by-game tackling numbers reported after future games. All observations above are drawn from the Colts’ official game recap and team comments.

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