The Pittsburgh Steelers finally had a chance to tie or take the lead for good.
After nearly 45 minutes trailing by at least a touchdown, Justin Fields and Co. lined up with 1:43 to go, a field goal way from tying the Indianapolis Colts.
Then Fields glanced right and the snap hit him in his facemask. the quarterback recovered but the Steelers couldn’t overcome what became second-and-21.
A second half in which they were on a burner suddenly extinguished.
The Colts improved to 2-2 with the 27-24 win while the Steelers snapped their undefeated streak but stayed atop the AFC North at 3-1.
Indianapolis lost key playmakers throughout the game, quarterback Anthony Richardson exiting in the first quarter with a hip injury and running back Jonathan Taylor battling through an ankle injury.
But backup quarterback Joe Flacco completed 16 of 26 pass attempts for 168 yards, two touchdowns and no mistakes.
On a day when the Steelers lost three fumbles and turned the ball over twice more on downs, that was the difference.
Pittsburgh’s defense struggled to adjust to the veteran quarterback who continued to find the right man on third down after preparing for the far more boom-and-bust Richardson.
Fields alternated between downfield passes and elusive runs to narrow the gap in the second half, ultimately 22-of-34 for 312 yards and a touchdown in addition to 55 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
Receiver George Pickens was Fields’ favorite target, catching seven of 11 attempts for 113 yards.
Fields has now started four games for Pittsburgh as Russell Wilson recovers from aggravating a calf injury, the Steelers hosting the Dallas Cowboys next week on Sunday Night Football.
Richardson’s injury is his latest after a concussion and shoulder injury limited him to just four games his rookie year.