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Steelers Tickets 2% Below Average For Matchup Vs AFC South Leading Colts

Provided by TiqIQ

One of the most competitive divisions in the NFL this season has been the AFC North, whose Pittsburgh Steelers set to host the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field this Sunday.

No one team has truly asserted themselves atop the division through the season's first seven weeks. The Ravens currently stand in first place with a 5-2 record, but the Steelers trail closely behind at 4-3 despite owning third place honors in the division. The Colts will hope to add more comfort to their first-place role in the AFC South and enter Week 8 at 5-2.

While Sunday's game will be crucial to the Steelers, it will be the second cheapest home game remaining on the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule this season. According to TiqIQ, the average price for Steelers vs Colts tickets is currently $189.82 with a get-in price of $62.50 on the secondary market. The average of the game is 2% below the season average for Steelers tickets this season. For remaining games, this leads only a December 21 game against the Chiefs at Heinz Field, when the average secondary price is listed at $163.17.

From where they stood at this time last season, the Colts head to Pittsburgh with much-improved defensive numbers. Last season, they ranked 20th in overall defense, allowing 357 yards per game and more than 40 points per game in their two postseason matchups. This year's defense has turned it around, however, and sits as the No. 3 ranked team in the league, trailing just the 49ers and Lions with 311.1 yards given up per game.

The Colts are also tied for third in the NFL with 21 sacks entering Week 8. The team's notable defensive improvements have only made their offense shine even brighter, where Andrew Luck has posted a rating of 100.5 on 19 touchdowns and 2,331 passing yards. Luck's Week 8 quarterback counterpart in Ben Roethlisberger hasn't come remotely close to generating similar numbers, passing for just 10 touchdowns on 1,858 yards this season.

Despite his weaker numbers than Luck this year, Roethlisberger can cement himself in the record books with a win on Sunday. The game will mark the 150th start of his career, and Roethlisberger is just one win shy of his 100th win.

Only three other quarterbacks have accomplished that milestone in that timeframe in the history of the NFL; they are Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Big Ben could be in the company of the greats, but he'll have his work cut out for him against the ever-improving defense of the Colts.

With the Colts on pace to solidify their second straight AFC South title, they'll look to keep their surge going against the Steelers on the road this Sunday. Indianapolis has won its last five games after dropping its first two, serving as one of the NFL's hottest teams alongside the 6-1 Cowboys, who have won six consecutive games.

The last time the Colts and Steelers met was in 2011, which was prior to the Andrew Luck era in Indianapolis. The Colts went just 2-14 with Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter under center that year, and neither offered a permanent solution to Peyton Manning's absence due to season-ending neck surgery. The Steelers held on to beat the Colts 23-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium that year, but 2014 holds two vastly different teams. If the Colts can put a stop to Pittsburgh's defense, they'll improve to 6-2 and remain the only winning team in the AFC South.

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