INDIANAPOLIS — In the wake of a 51-34 road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts are attempting to find something positive.

The Colts fell behind 21-3 early in the second quarter and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way. Yes, Indianapolis managed to narrow the margin to 42-34 with 2:35 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Steelers would allow things to get.

So what now? Indianapolis has some extra time to lick its wounds, both physical and mental, before heading east again. The Colts will face the New York Giants in a nationally televised game next Monday night.

“Looked at the (game) tape,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said Monday. “It looked like we thought it was going to look like. There are always some positives you can find. We had some guys battle. We battled back. We got it back to a one-score game, but we’ve got a lot of things to clean up.

“We went 3-1 in the second quarter of the season. We played pretty good football in October. Unfortunately, we finished the way we played (Sunday). We didn’t finish the month the way we wanted to.

“All of our goals that we set at the beginning of the season are still attainable. And now our total focus is on the Giants.”

Quarterback Andrew Luck agrees. It is time to fix the mistakes, but also time to move on to the next game. When did he turn the page?

“It was around 2:15 (p.m. Monday),” Luck said. “The (game) tape had been watched, and you learn from it. You have to take it as a learning opportunity, the good and the bad, both sides of it.

“Obviously the bad outweighs the good in this one. Now it’s on to the Giants. It’s mentally, physically and emotionally getting prepped for this next game.”

Turning the page is something the Colts traditionally do well. Indianapolis does not linger on a bad game performance and allow it to effect the next game or the rest of the season.

Can the Colts do so again?

“Yeah, that’s always been Coach’s method,” Luck said. “I think guys buy in. You do have to stay steady because the NFL season is long. You’re going to experience big wins, and unfortunately you’re going to experience big losses as well.

“But I think you take the same approach to preparation every day whether it’s watching the film, on the practice field, in the meeting rooms, the training room and weight room. That approach to preparation will hopefully get us over this loss and back on the right track.”

Are the Colts angry or just frustrated after the loss to the Steelers?

“That’s a good question,” Luck said. “I hate to say that we’re going to have more motivation because we lost a game the week before. I don’t think that’s true. I think this team is motivated to play all the time. It’s a prideful team. Guys want to go out there and do the best they can.

“Guys aren’t happy by any means. We made some bonehead plays and offensively the pick-six, the intentional grounding … and a couple other things you wish you could go back and take back. But I think guys will approach practice the same as always with a good attitude.”

NOTES: Cornerback Vontae Davis (knee) is day-to-day heading into the game against Pittsburgh. … Outside linebacker Erik Walden (hip flexor) is listed as week-to-week. He is expected to be replaced by versatile LB Andy Studebaker. … Safety LaRon Landry is due to return from a four-game, league-mandated PED suspension this week.

REPORT CARD VS. STEELERS:

–PASSING OFFENSE: B-minus — QB Andrew Luck completed 26 of 45 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns. However, Luck also threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, was sacked twice and hurried on seven other occasions. He also fell deep in his own territory, near the goal line, and was charged with intentional grounding while in the end zone. That resulted in a safety. The bright spots were that Indianapolis had two wide receivers top 100 yards: T.Y. Hilton with six catches for 155 yards and a touchdown, and rookie WR Donte Moncrief with seven receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: C — Since the Colts fell behind so quickly in the game, the running attack rarely had a chance to do much. Indianapolis was forced to throw the football a lot in order to attempt a comeback. RB Ahmad Bradshaw started and had 35 yards on six carries, including a touchdown. Daniel “Boom” Herron gained two yards on his lone carry. RB Trent Richardson dressed but did not play due to a hamstring injury.

–PASS DEFENSE: D-minus — The grade very easily could have been an “F.” That is how bad the Colts’ pass defense played against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 40 of 49 passes for a whopping 522 yards and six touchdowns. Big Ben wasn’t sacked and was only hit once. Yeah, it was that bad. Roethlisberger ended the game with a passer rating of 150.6. WR Antonio Brown had 10 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. TE Heath Miller added seven receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. WR Martavis Bryant added five catches for 83 yards and two TDs.

–RUSH DEFENSE: D — Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell picked up a game-high 92 yards on 24 carries. RB LeGarrette Blount added 21 yards on six attempts. The Steelers had 117 rushing yards as a team, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Pittsburgh’s passing game was working so well, rushing attempts were more of an attempt to set up throws downfield.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B — PK Adam Vinatieri connected on field-goal attempts from 31 and 23 yards. P Pat McAfee averaged 45.7 yards on three punts and had five touchbacks on kickoffs. WR/KR Griff Whalen averaged 24.4 yards on five kickoff returns. The Colts’ coverage units did a nice job on the day.

–COACHING: C — Indianapolis struggled from the outset. The Colts couldn’t come with stops on defense all day. It was the defense’s worst performance of the season. On offense, Indianapolis was limited in what it could do after falling behind so quickly. Still, way too many mistakes all the way around. Coach Chuck Pagano suggested afterward that the Colts were outcoached, saying that he didn’t do a very good job of having his team ready.