Both the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are in the playoff hunt in the AFC and fortunately for both, things aren't looking as tough as the NFC. The Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs currently hold the top wild card spots with 6-5 records in the AFC, but the Steelers and Colts also have the same record.
Colts vs. Steelers 2015 streaming: Time, TV schedule and how to watch ‘Sunday Night Football’ online
Ben Roethlisberger will likely face Matt Hasselbeck when the Steelers take on the Colts Sunday.
Indianapolis also holds the tiebreaker over the Texans in the AFC South, so they are currently slotted in as the fourth seed in the postseason. The Steelers are on the outside looking in, the lowest-seeded of the five 6-5 teams in the AFC, so they have some work to do.
That work begins Sunday, when they will take on the Colts at home in primetime on NBC. But Pittsburgh has a long road ahead, with tough games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos in their next two games. They can't count on sweeping those games and desperately need to pull out a win against the Colts here in Week 13.
Fortunately, it sounds like the Steelers will have Ben Roethlisberger in action Sunday. Roethlisberger self-reported a concussion in the team's loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12 and his status has been up in the air this week. But the Steelers have been optimistic about his chances of playing.
Pittsburgh knows what it's like to be without Roethlisberger. He missed four games earlier in the season and the team had to go with the combination of Mike Vick and Landry Jones at the quarterback position. With Roethlisberger out, the Steelers went 2-2, which is probably the best they could have hoped for. The Steelers are coming off a loss and, again, need to get back in the win column immediately to keep their wild card hopes alive.
Indianapolis, on the other hand, is trying to hold off the surging Texans. Houston has won its last four games and is now tied with the Colts in record. The Colts have won their last three games, which has helped hold off the Texans, but looking at the two teams, Houston is definitely playing better football at this stage of the season.
Couple that with the fact that Andrew Luck is out with an injury. Matt Hasselbeck, who is 40 years old, started the team's last game, a dominant win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Steelers are a much tougher team than the Buccaneers.
The Colts desperately need to get Hasselbeck some help, though. He threw for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no picks against the Buccaneers, but the Colts rushed for just 27 total yards as a team in that game. Frank Gore, who was brought in this offseason to lead the rushing attack, had just 24 yards on 19 carries.
Sunday’s game will feature an Indianapolis team that ranks 24th in total offense and 25th in total defense going up against a Steelers team that comes in at 4th in total offense, despite all the injuries, and 21st in total defense.
President Obama will address the nation live at 8 p.m., 25 minutes before the start of the game. NBC will cut away to carry the speech, and if it runs long, it could interfere with the game. It will be played as normal and NBC will cut back to it as soon as possible.
How to Watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.
TV: NBC
Commentators: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Online: NBC Sports
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