The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the Indianapolis Colts by 15 points at the break in their NFL clash with the scores at 35-20 at Heinz Field.

The Colts started the match well as a big reception from TY Hilton for 45 yards put them inside the redzone, but they failed to punch the ball in for a touchdown and were forced to settle for a field goal from the boot of Adam Vinatieri.

Pittsburgh responded and took the lead in their first possession of the game, as Ben Roethlisberger drove his side the length of the field before firing to Markus Wheaton for a walk-in touchdown.

The Steelers marched downfield again as Roethlisberger had his offense in a great rhythm, and they took the lead right at the start of the second quarter when he found Martavis Bryant in the endzone on slant route for a five-yard score.

Matters got even better for the home side seconds later when Andrew Luck threw an interception into the hands of William Gay, and the cornerback sprinted all the way into the endzone for a 33-yard touchdown.

The Colts managed to rally when Luck fired deep downfield to Donte Moncrief to put his side into a scoring position. The visitors soon found the endzone as Luck delivered a 23-yard strike to tight end Dwayne Allen.

Indianapolis made a crucial mistake on a fourth and one play as the Steelers were ready to settle for a field goal from the boot of Shaun Suisham. However, the Colts jumped offside and Roethlisberger made them pay as he threw a fade to Antonio Brown, who caught for the score.

Roethlisberger was in imperious form and he showed his skill as he evaded the rush in the pocket and threw off balance downfield for Brown, who made the catch and sprinted away from the Colts' defense and into the endzone.

The Colts scored a touchdown just before the break when Luck lifted the ball to the endzone and TY Hilton beat Cortez Allen in coverage to make the grab for the score. There was time just before the half for Vinatieri to add a field goal to reduce the deficit to 15 points.