After blowing out the Pittsburgh Steelers last week to move into a tie for first place in the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts were feeling good about themselves as they tried to chase down a playoff spot in AFC. The Colts had won four in a row before a 20-point loss to the Bengals on Dec. 10 halted momentum. The solid play from the Steelers win carried over into the first possession of the game against the Falcons.
Arthur Smith's goal was for the Atlanta Falcons to remain relevant in the NFC South. Taylor Heinicke knew the best way to reach that goal was to avoid mistakes. Heinicke provided the turnover-free leadership at quarterback Atlanta has sought all season, passing for 229 yards and a touchdown to lead the Falcons to a 29-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Pittsburgh has won all five playoff games, the first two when the Colts were in Baltimore, and the Steelers have won three AFC titles after postseason wins over the Colts. The most memorable matchups came in the AFC championship game following the 1995 season and in January 2006, the year coach Bill Cowher won his Super Bowl title. The Colts, Steelers and Browns were the three teams that moved from the NFL to the AFC as part of the 1970 merger.
Cincinnati exploited Indy's aggressive pass rush with three long screen passes, the Colts' ground game struggled again, and even the special teams unit that played so well one week earlier broke down in a 34-14 loss. On Monday, the embarrassed Colts (7-6) were already back at work, searching for a quick fix.