Steelers-Colts Game Far Less Interesting

The Steelers-Colts game tonight used to be one that would draw a huge television audience. That's why NBC got the rights to the game and it is why this will be one of the showcase games of the weekend. The network would probably choose a different one if the fact that Peyton Manning won't play had been known earlier.

The Week 3 schedule has a number of great games, including Green Bay-Chicago, New York-Philadelphia and Washington-Dallas. It's too bad only one of those games will receive the prime time treatment, and it will be Redskins-Cowboys on Monday night. That will be a huge battle between the two NFC East teams, and the drama surrounding whether Tony Romo will play or not has been one of the main focal points.

Through the first two games, the Colts have had trouble doing just about everything on the field. Struggling to find an identity without Manning has been just one of many problems for a team that looks like it is short on talent and long on years at this point. The Colts lost to division rival Houston on the road, then dropped the home opener to the Cleveland Browns. The fans could use something to cheer about, and maybe a surprise upset against the Steelers could be just that.

The Steelers have had an odd beginning, getting blown out by the Baltimore Ravens, then shutting out the Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens then lost in Week 2, so it's unclear whether Pittsburgh was simply that bad (35-7 loss) or the Ravens just had a really good week. Now the Steelers get to play a floundering Colts team that is trying to keep from starting the season 0-3 for the first time since before Manning was drafted.

It almost seems like a bye week for Pittsburgh before the team takes on the Houston Texans next week. The defense should be able to take full advantage of the Colts and it could lead to Kerry Collins getting hit quite a bit. The kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. EDT on NBC, giving it a prime time appearance, but the network has to be preparing for the possibility that not many people are going to watch this game.