Steelers Nation Expected to Take Over Indy

There’s expected to be an influx of Steelers fans at Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. It could be a takeover similar to the Steelers’ Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons.

According to Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast, Steelers fans will take up 40% of the crowd. The average ticket price to the game is $194, with the best deal currently being $122. Anytime the Steelers come to town, tickets skyrocket.

Visiting Steelers fans are traveling an average of 303 miles, a little less than the 359 miles between the cities. Indianapolis is a relatively close trip for Steelers fans from Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers’ fanbase is nationwide, with deep distribution of the team’s fans all over the country. Indianapolis did not have an NFL team prior to 1984, so I’m sure there are a lot of Steelers fans in Indiana due to the franchise’s dominance in the 1970s.

Pittsburgh fans made a noticeable impact in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over Atlanta. Steelers Nation was so loud that the Falcons had to go on a silent count at their home stadium.

“Steeler Nation is incredible, man,” Watt said after the game. “It is incredibly demoralizing for an offense to be on a silent count at their home field. Honestly, a lot of those plays go to them. The fumble I was able to land on because they had to be on a silent count at their place. Any time that happens when you have a lot of shifts and motions, snaps can go anywhere. The ball is on the ground I got to recover it.”

Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast projected over 55 percent of the stadium to be Steelers fans against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. There were a lot of Steelers fans at the game, but it wasn’t a takeover like in Atlanta. The Falcons game was projected to be 53 percent Steelers fans, and it felt more like 70 percent.

It will be interesting to see if Steelers Nation makes a difference in Sunday’s game. If it’s anything like Atlanta, that should bode well for T.J. Watt and the Steelers’ pass rush.

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