“Tomlin is not overly concerned” about the Steelers’ first-half performance against the Colts

Despite an ugly first half that featured multiple self-inflicted wounds that left the Pittsburgh Steelers trailing the Indianapolis Colts 17-3 at halftime, Mike Tomlin isn't hitting the panic button. In a halftime interview with Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports, Tomlin says the Steelers need to calm down and stop beating themselves.

“To be completely honest, we’re not too worried,” Tomlin told Kinkhabwala. “We turn the ball over in the red zone. We got the ball to start the second half. There's a lot of ball ahead of us. It obviously requires an adjustment between (Anthony) Richardson and (Joe) Flacco. But otherwise we just have to do a little better than before.”

Pittsburgh missed one chance after another in the first 30 minutes. CB Joey Porter Jr. had two passes intercepted, the team failed to recover a fumble, failed to convert on fourth-and-a-half yard, and WR George Pickens fumbled while the Steelers were within touching distance of their first points of the game.

Defensively, the Steelers have calmed down a bit, helped by the Colts' loss of QB Anthony Richardson to a hip injury. This allowed Pittsburgh to focus on RB Jonathan Taylor, whose initial success was muted. He entered the half averaging 3.9 yards per carry.

Injuries were also a factor, as the team lost OG James Daniels to an ankle injury early in the first half. EDGE Nick Herbig missed some time with an ankle injury, although he returned to the game, and RB Cordarrelle Patterson injured his ankle and left the game with a cart. He was the Steelers' best offensive success in the first 30 minutes.

A drive late in the first half gave Pittsburgh its first points of the half, with K Chris Boswell hitting a 50-yard field goal as time expired. With the Steelers now trailing by 14, they will be looking for a good start to get back into the game after halftime.