(Getty)
Without Andrew Luck, the Colts are doing just fine. But when Chuck Pagano spoke with the media this week, he was sure not to mince words when it came to his QB situation.
“Andrew is our starting quarterback,” Pagano stated earlier this week. “When he is healthy and he is 100 percent healthy and the doctors and our trainers say he is ready to roll then he is going to be under center.”
It’s a reminder that Hasselbeck, who is 4-0 in starts this season, is not the savior to the Colts offense. He has merely kept the ship afloat, although he eclipsed 300 yards passing for the first time this season last week against Tampa Bay. But that’s more indicative of a struggling run game, one that’s only managed 101 yards combined in the previous two weeks.
The game will be broadcast on NBC, with pregame coverage starting at 7 p.m. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:25 p.m. The normal pregame programming will be interrupted at 8 p.m. Eastern, as NBC will cut to President Obama’s address from the Oval Office.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game:
Date: Sunday, December 6, 2015
Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
TV Channel: The game will be broadcast on NBC, with Al, Chris, and Michelle on the call.
Line: Steelers (-7.5) via OddsShark.com
Live Stream: NFL.com; NFL Game Pass.
Game Preview:
Hassselbeck may be undefeated this season, but the thought of the Steelers leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
Back in 2006, Hasselbeck and the Seahawks rode an 11-game win streak into Super Bowl XL in Detroit, only to fall to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
It’s worth noting that in that game, Hasselbeck thoroughly outplayed Roethlisberger. He passed for 273 yards to Ben’s 123, but a trick play reverse-pass from Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward was the big play that broke the Seahawks. Pittsburgh won, 21-10, giving Roethlisberger the first of his two Super Bowl rings.
“The disappointing thing about the Super Bowl is it’s the biggest game of your life, and we didn’t play our best that day,” Hasselbeck said Wednesday. “That’s just how it is, and how it’s always going to be.
In his 17-year career, that’s the closest Hasselbeck has been to a championship. This year the Colts were a trendy preseason pick to win it all, but without Hasselbeck, their season would most certainly be over by now.
