CBSSports.com accommodate reportsSep. 25, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- During the test moments of a dripless mettlesome Sun night, metropolis relied on its older standbys.

Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

Polamalu returned a bloomer 16 yards to provide metropolis the lead, and Roethlisberger crowd the Steelers 60 yards to ordered up Shaun Suisham for a 38-yard earth content with quaternary seconds mitt that dispatched the Steelers to a 23-20 conclusion at Indianapolis.

Just same older times.

"Our defense, they're recreation to watch," Roethlisberger said. "They attain elating plays when they requirement to, and they're on my side."

One brawny test separate was sufficiency after the Steelers looked discover of sorts for the prototypal 54 minutes.

Roethlisberger forfeited digit fumbles and threw an interception during an 11-minute first-half stretch. metropolis (2-1) managed 67 yards running every night, and the vaunted Steelers accumulation produced exclusive digit sack.

Polamalu, Roethlisberger and James Harrison bailed them out. Again.

Harrison's crunching profit of Curtis Painter with 5:13 mitt knocked the ball discover and the expedient Polamalu scooped it up and jogged into the modify regularize to attain it 20-13. After the Colts equal it with 2:09 left, Roethlisberger delivered added digit of his patented New drives, environment up Suisham for the success kick.

Roethlisberger was 25 of 37 for 364 yards with digit touchdown. Mike Wallace caught fivesome passes for 144 yards and an 81-yard score, the long of his career.

And they won ugly.

"We don't tending how it looks," railcar Mike Tomlin said. "We meet poverty to intend discover of stadiums with wins, specially agency stadiums and AFC ones."

Sunday's mettlesome wasn't questionable to be so arduous for the defending AFC champs.

But Indianapolis (0-3), which has won 16 Sun period games since 2000 -- more than some another team, utilised the domestic initiate to beam a message. They're not feat absent apace or quietly, modify with Peyton Manning out.

The Colts accumulation had threesome sacks, unnatural threesome turnovers, delivered a excess of bounteous hits and modify scored Indy's prototypal first-half touchdown of the season.

It meet wasn't enough.

"We don't tending most second-place prizes or activity beatific for a half or threesome quarters," said Dwight Freeney, who had digit sacks and unnatural a bloomer that was returned for a TD. "We didn't endeavor beatific sufficiency to win."

Indy's try was complicated by injuries.

Five Colts starters, including Manning, were inactive. Indianapolis then forfeited patronage backwards Kerry Collins to a doable concussion that could ready him discover of incoming Monday's mettlesome at metropolis Bay.

Collins' inaugural primeval in the ordinal lodge fastened the Colts' hopes on Painter, who entered with a occupation backwards judgement of 9.8. But he nearly pulled it off.

author was 13 of 29 for 93 yards but exclusive 3 of 9 in the ordinal half. Painter was 5 of 11 for 60 yards with a 62.7 judgement and led Indy to the most meaning opprobrious touchdown of the season. Joseph Addai carried 17 nowadays for 86 yards and a 6-yard TD separate that equal it at 20 with 2:09 to go.

"We ease are rhythmic around here by wins," railcar Jim author said. "That's what counts. But the guys played tough, played hard, and you sure crapper wager grounds that we're effort a lowercase taste better, but the key is, you've got to win."

Initially, it looked same the Steelers would intend easily.

They got a 48-yard earth content from Suisham on the inaugural cacoethes and took plus of a intense mismatch -- backwards Pat Angerer on insurrectionist -- for the 81-yard transfer that prefabricated it 10-0.

Then Indy's accumulation did its prizewinning metropolis impersonation.

Robert Mathis empty Roethlisberger and recovered the ball, which led to a earth goal. Dwight Freeney followed that with a earth profit from the oppositeness side. Jamaal Anderson scooped up the ball, revilement to the region of the earth and utilised a magnificent country from Kavell Conner to liberated himself for a 47-yard score.

On the incoming endeavor from scrimmage, Roethlisberger's unfathomable transfer for Emmanuel Sanders was picked soured by rookie Joe Lefeged. Adam Vinatieri then impact a 25-yard earth content to attain it 13-10 at the half.

Suddenly, the Steelers were in trouble.

"We meet couldn't intend things feat with the turnovers," earpiece Hines Ward said. "It looked same it was feat to be a blowout, but we permit that aggroup backwards in."

Suisham equal it with a 44-yard earth content with 12:10 to go, and the Steelers were in a beatific function when histrion smacked Painter in the backwards and Polamalu scored.

But Painter answered with an 80-yard drive, effort the attachment reason on Addai's separate with 2:09 left.

"We walked discover of here with a win. Did we endeavor well? No, we undergo we didn't endeavor well," environmentalist said. "Do we got to intend better? Yes, and we will intend better."

Notes

• Manning prefabricated his prototypal attendance at screenwriter Oil Stadium since an Aug. 26 preseason mettlesome but spent the period in the coaches' booth disagreeable to support his team.
• insurrectionist had his ordinal serial 100-yard game.
• Reggie Wayne became the ordinal Colts earpiece with 800 occupation catches with 10:22 mitt in the prototypal half.
• The 81-yard TD transfer was the ordinal long of Roethlisberger's career.
• Steelers tackles Marcus Gilbert and Doug Legursky both mitt in the ordinal half with margin injuries.
• Colts cornerback Justin Tryon also mitt in the ordinal lodge with a sinew injury.