McCarthy is staying the course as uneven Steelers try to steady themselves vs. the improving Colts

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike McCarthy spent the weekend after Pittsburgh’s uneven performance in a Thursday night loss to Cleveland poring over tape to find areas where the Steelers could improve.

The first-year coach knows he's hardly alone.

“You’re hard-pressed to find a team or two that feels really good about where they are right now,” he said. "That’s the norm."

It certainly is in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers have been a little scattershot four games into McCarthy's tenure. OK, but hardly great against Atlanta. Lethargic and inept in New England. Resilient and dynamic versus Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Too sloppy for its own good in a fifth straight road setback in Cleveland.

“I mean, you are what you put on film and you are what your record says you are," McCarthy said with a shrug. "So, we’re 2-2 as a coaching staff and as a football team.”

Translation: there's plenty of work to do for a group that remains very much a work in progress as Indianapolis (2-2) visits.

While the Steelers aren't exactly off the pace in the competitive and seemingly wide open AFC North, they have yet to show any real polish. While some bumps are to be expected as McCarthy tries to put his own stamp on a franchise that spent the previous 19 years defined by former coach Mike Tomlin's swagger, McCarthy knows it's time for a team that believes it can be a factor into January and beyond to start looking the part.

“I’m a huge believer in preparation,” McCarthy said. “When it doesn’t look right, I prepare more. That’s the way I’m wired. That’s the way I’ve always done it. That’s what I’ll continue to do, and we’re going to be a better football team because of it.”

Better might be required against the Colts, who have been steadily improving since getting routed at home by Baltimore in the opener.

Indianapolis followed with a narrow overtime loss at Kansas City, a thrilling comeback over AFC South rival Houston and a decisive win against injury-depleted Washington in London last week.

Finding a way to win in Pittsburgh — something the franchise hasn't done since 2008 — would provide the Colts with tangible evidence that last season's late fade is firmly in the rearview mirror.

“We know it’s a big one,” coach Shane Steichen said. “I told the guys ... it’s a big one because it’s the next one. We’re going into a hostile environment.”

In more ways than one. The Steelers sideline grew heated at times as things slipped away in Cleveland, from quarterback Aaron Rodgers jawing at McCarthy to longtime defensive stars Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt visibly expressing their frustration.

Yet what the cameras showed was one thing. What the players felt was another.

“I think it is a positive,” Rodgers said. “Player-led teams are the best teams, and I think anytime you’re seeing the fire and the passion from all those guys, it’s a good thing.”

Indianapolis (2-2) vs. Pittsburgh (2-2)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

Latest odds: Steelers by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Colts 3-1; Pittsburgh 2-2.

Last week: Colts beat the Commanders 30-13; Steelers lost to Browns 27-24.

Last meeting: Steelers beat Colts 27-20 on Nov. 2, 2025, in Pittsburgh.

Series record: Steelers lead 34-11.

Steelers run defense vs. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. Pittsburgh held the Indianapolis star to just 45 yards on 14 carries in last season's win. The challenge could be more difficult this time around without second-year defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, who was placed on injured reserve this week. The Steelers struggled with tackling last week in Cleveland, though they're hoping the short week was to blame. If the Colts control the line of scrimmage, it means they won't have to put the ball in the hands of mistake-prone QB Daniel Jones, who turned it over five times in Pittsburgh last November.

— The Steelers are 21-3 at home against Indianapolis and haven't lost to the Colts at Acrisure Stadium since 2008.

— Indy’s defense has allowed only three touchdowns and 30 points in its past two games after allowing 74 points in its first two games.

— Colts WR Keenan Allen needs three receptions to pass former Indianapolis great Reggie Wayne for 11th on the league’s career list. Allen did not play last week because of a groin injury. Wayne finished with 1,070 catches before joining the Colts coaching staff.

— Taylor needs one touchdown to move into third place on the team's career list. He is currently tied with Wayne for 82 scores in his career.

— Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt has 4 1/2 sacks in four games this season and 6 1/2 sacks in seven games against the Colts, the most Watt's had against any non-AFC North opponent.

— Rodgers is just 2-4 all time against the Colts, though his individual numbers tell a different story. Rodgers has thrown for 13 touchdown passes against three picks when facing Indianapolis.

— Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is 59 yards away from becoming the second undrafted running back in franchise history to reach 3,000 yards.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) gets past Washington Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson (2) to score a touchdown during an NFL football game in London, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs into the end zone to scores his side's second touchdown during an NFL football game against Washington Commanders in London, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is tackled by Cleveland Browns defensive end Adin Huntington during the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 24 vehicles were burned and shops looted as protests over a court ruling easing access to asylum turned violent in two South African cities on Thursday.

Acting national police commissioner Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane said 10 vehicles were torched in Johannesburg’s Soweto township and 14 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, where three people were arrested.

“The right to raise concerns and to protest does not give anyone the right to commit crime,” she said, adding that public-order police deployments had been reinforced in areas facing unrest.

Protests in Soweto and Durban opposed the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove procedural barriers to seeking asylum. They followed months of anti-immigrant tensions, with demonstrators demanding the deportation of foreigners living in South Africa illegally.

The Soweto violence, which left several burned-out cars lining the streets, erupted near a Home Affairs office in Orlando West, according to metro police spokesperson Xolani Fihla. No injuries were reported, and officers were checking whether additional vehicles had been burned.

Fihla said police received reports of shots fired toward protesters, which triggered retaliatory vehicle burnings. He did not identify who allegedly fired or who owned the vehicles.

“The situation is a bit tense, but it has died down from the earlier violence that we did see during the day,” he said.

Community leader Tshepo Mposula said the demonstration began peacefully outside Home Affairs before residents moved to shut foreign-owned convenience stores. He alleged that foreign nationals fired shots, angering protesters who then set vehicles alight.

“It was not supposed to escalate to this level. This was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration,” he said.

Fihla said the violence had subsided, although tensions remained high. Officers were still deployed, and roads remained closed. He acknowledged that officers initially monitoring the march lacked specialized public-order training and equipment. “We couldn’t predict that this type of situation would happen,” he said.

In the eastern coastal city of Durban, where looting of shops owned by foreign nationals was reported by the state broadcaster, SABC, riot police were deployed to the city center. Smoke billowed over parts of downtown Durban as firefighters battled blazes.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col. Robert Netshiunda told SABC that three foreign nationals were arrested on suspicion of attacking a protester and breaking the protester’s neck — an incident he said may have sparked the violence.

Earlier Thursday, the government’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration held an urgent briefing to address overcrowding at asylum offices after implementing a July Constitutional Court ruling.

The court struck down procedural barriers that prevented some people from seeking asylum, including those who entered South Africa irregularly, lacked asylum transit visas or missed reporting deadlines, the committee said.

Home Affairs later directed refugee reception offices to accept those applications, but officials acknowledged they were unprepared for the number of people who came forward.

“We confirm that all refugee offices were overwhelmed by the numbers of those coming for applications,” the committee said after meeting Wednesday night.

Authorities pledged to expand processing capacity, speed up decisions and strengthen identity checks. They stressed that the ruling allowed people to have their claims assessed but did not automatically grant refugee status or permanent residence.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

A car burns near a political party poster after it was set alight during protests related to immigration issues in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

Cars burn after they were set alight during protests related to immigration issues in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)

A car burns after it was set alight during protests related to immigration issues in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)