Nov 21, 2016 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Indianapolis Colts announced Monday that quarterback Andrew Luck has been placed in concussion protocol and his status for Thursday night’s game against Pittsburgh at Lucas Oil Stadium is doubtful.

The announcement might have come after Luck, who did not miss a snap in the Colts’ 24-17 win over Tennessee Sunday, started breaking down film of the Steelers.

Completely inept at rushing the passer for much of the season, the Steelers (5-5) put an all-out assault on the pocket in a 24-9 victory over the Browns Sunday, recording eight sacks and 14 quarterback hits.

Not bad for a team that entered the game tied for the NFL-low with 13 sacks. The Steelers also had been credited with just 37 quarterback hits in nine games.

It had people who had watched the team all season wondering where in the heck that did that come from?

“We can do that. We have good quality players who can do that,” said defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who led the way with a career-high 2 1/2 sacks and four QB hits. “We should use that momentum to continue that forward to give us what we need.”

The sight of that pass rush couldn’t have been fun for the Colts, who have allowed Luck to be sacked a league-high 35 times.

It especially had to be a little confusing trying to figure out what the Steelers were doing with Tuitt. The third-year defensive end lined up all over the defensive front as coordinator Keith Butler tried to keep the Browns from zeroing in on his best defensive weapon now that Cameron Heyward is out for the remainder of the season with a pectoral injury.

“I’m sure that he is going to gain more attention with Cam being out,” said head coach Mike Tomlin. “We were thoughtful about what we asked him to do and how we moved him around. He was in interior some, he was over center some, he was on the end some, over tackles and tight ends, and I think that helps him and us.”

Tuitt expects more of that kind of movement. And when you have a game such as the one he had against the Browns, you can expect increased attention from opponents.

“Knowing that I’m not going to be just in one spot probably means the offensive coordinator can’t just run plays to get away from me,” said Tuitt. “I can move, and if they’re not paying attention to me, they can run right to that spot.”

It also helps him avoid double teams.

“It really does, especially if they’re not paying attention. If they don’t know where you’re going to be, it does take that double away from me,” he said.

Whatever works – at least that’s the mantra for the Steelers.

Earlier this season, Butler wasn’t calling as many blitzes as the Steelers wanted to play more zone coverage and try to get to the quarterback with a three- or four-man rush. As the season has progressed, Butler has called more blitzes, and the Steelers have started to get to the quarterback more often.

Not only does Tuitt have all of his team-high 3½ sacks in the past two games, the Steelers have 12 sacks in their past three games. They had nine sacks in their first six games – one more than they had against the Browns.

“When it rains it pours, right?” said linebacker Lawrence Timmons. “We should have more days like that. Give ourselves something to work for.”

Safety Jordan Dangerfield (groin) and tight end Xavier Grimble (quad), who each missed the Cleveland game, could be back this week. … Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot), running back DeAngelo Williams (knee) and safety Shamarko Thomas (groin) are not likely to play against the Colts.