Embattled Steelers defense forces 6 turnovers as Pittsburgh tops AFC-leading Indianapolis 27-20

PITTSBURGH AP Jaylen Warren ran for two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers forced Indianapolis into six turnovers in a - domination on Sunday The Steelers - snapped a two-game losing streak by harassing Colts quarterback Daniel Jones into the kind of mistakes he d largely avoided during Indianapolis scorching-hot start Jones threw three interceptions and fumbled twice including a strip-sack by Pittsburgh s T J Watt in the second quarter that seemed to shake the Steelers out of a weeks-long funk in which the NFL s highest-paid defense gave up yards and points at an alarming rate Watt s recovery which came with the Steelers trailing by a touchdown and looking lifeless and on the receiving end of a smattering of boos from an uneasy Acrisure Stadium crowd set up the first of Warren s two touchdown runs and started a familiar pattern Pittsburgh s defense would take it away then Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense would convert that turnover into points Pittsburgh turned three of Indianapolis giveaways into touchdowns during a stretch in which they ripped off straight points to take control Two snaps after Warren s plunge tied it Jones threw an ill-advised pass right to Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson who returned it yards Rodgers uncovered Pat Freiermuth for a -yard touchdown pass two plays later to give the Steelers a lead they didn t even flirt with squandering Rodgers finished of for yards and a count on a day Pittsburgh s offense managed just yards of total offense Then again the Steelers didn t need Rodgers to be prolific merely competent on a day the defense regained its ball-hawking swagger Jones completed of for yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown but his three picks matched his season total coming in and he had serious trouble securing the ball in the face of a pass rush that sacked him five times Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin pledged to simplify things after losses to Cincinnati and Green Bay in which Pittsburgh s secondary gave up a staggering yards through the air The patchwork unit so banged up that safety Kyle Dugger started after arriving in a exchange with New England on Thursday identified a way to keep the league s highest-scoring offense in check The Colts points tied a season low and a critical chunk of their yards came in garbage time Perhaps more troubling for Indianapolis was the way Jones whose resurgent play after six mostly forgettable seasons with the New York Giants helped propel Indianapolis remarkable start regressed into the mistake-prone decision-maker that made him expendable in the Big Apple Facing the league s worst pass defense Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen opted to put the encounter in Jones hands rather than running back Jonathan Taylor Taylor the NFL s leading rusher was held to a season-low yards on carries and was an afterthought even during the first half when he ran it just eight times while Jones attempted passes with diminishing results Indianapolis remains atop the AFC South despite the stumble Pittsburgh remains the only group in the AFC North with a winning record Perhaps just as importantly the Steelers saw a bit of their confidence return after their - start had started to look like a mirage Injuries Steelers Veteran guard Isaac Seumalo aggravated a pectoral injury in the second half and did not return Seumalo initially sustained the injury in last Sunday s loss to Green Bay Up next Colts head to Berlin Germany next week for an international event against Atlanta Steelers Passage to Los Angeles for a Sunday night matchup against the Chargers next week AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl Source