The Indianapolis Colts’ offense began the season on a historic pace. Head coach Shane Steichen had seemingly resurrected quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Jonathan Taylor kick-started his MVP campaign, and the offensive line was mauling defensive fronts at will.
Through seven weeks, the Colts’ offense was the most efficient offense by points per drive this century. As of the past games, however, kinks in their armor have appeared. Most notably and recently, the offense collapsed down the stretch against the Kansas City Chiefs, eventually losing 23-20 in overtime.
Four straight 3-and-outs. The Colts offense had an 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter, only for it to evaporate entirely to the tune of four straight 3-and-outs. In 12 plays during that stretch, Daniel Jones and Co. totaled just 18 yards of offense (13 yards if you include the strategically taken delay of game on 4th down).
There’s a lot that’s already been said regarding Shane Steichen’s playcalling and late-game management. It was a bizarre effort, not just by Steichen, but from the entire offense. It does start and end with his leadership, however. In his post-game press conference, Steichen was noticeably frustrated and explained that the offense’s shortcomings were due to a lack of execution, but made sure to admit that it starts with him.
“There was a lot of stuff that I wanted to get called that I felt good about in the pass game, and we just weren’t efficient doing it, and it starts with me,” Steichen explained.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has undeniably come back down to Earth after an MVP-like first half of the season. Most notably, his ball security and steady hand in the pocket have evaded him in recent weeks, throwing four interceptions and fumbling six times in the two games prior to Sunday’s showing in Kansas City. Although he came out of the bye week with zero turnovers against the Chiefs, Jones seemingly struggled down the stretch as he went 3-9 passing for 17 yards in the 4th quarter/overtime.
Jones wasn’t afforded his typical slew of play-action rollouts that Shane Steichen usually provides him, nor the shot-yardage quarterback sneaks. Pure speculation, but it could point to a lingering fibula injury that popped up on Wednesday’s practice report. Jones did take off on a couple of scrambles for first-down gains, but something to monitor as this Colts offense aims to work out the kinks.
Head coach Shane Steichen has shown in the past his unwillingness to feed his best offensive player, and it came back to bite him yet again versus the Chiefs. In his defense, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had completely sold out his defense to stop MVP-candidate Jonathan Taylor through the first three quarters, and while it worked, this was the same timeframe that saw Steichen’s Colts offense work up a two-score lead. During the aforementioned collapse of a final stretch, Daniel Jones did make checks at the line a couple of times, presumably out of a run call, but all in all, it was a stretch Steichen and Co. would like to get back.
As far as confidence in the head coach goes, Taylor explained to James Boyd of The Athletic in his post-game media availability that his faith in Shane Steichen has not wavered, taking it a step further to remind us all that the plays end with the players, echoing what Steichen said in his post-game presser regarding a lack of execution down the stretch.
“I have confidence [in Coach Steichen]. At the end of the day, we have to make the plays go,” Taylor explained when asked if he ever communicates with Colts head coach and offensive playcaller Shane Steichen about wanting the ball more. “Receivers have to be in their right spots. The offensive line and running backs, we have to give Daniel [Jones] time. Daniel has to deliver the ball. Like, it’s a cumulation of everything that goes into each play, and we trust Shane [Steichen], so we have to make these plays happen.”
With all said, surely I’m prepared to smash the panic button, deem Shane Steichen unfit to be a head coach, and eventually claim that Daniel Jones has reverted to his past self, but I’m not. This was an excusable meltdown from the offense, undoubtedly so, but I think there’s now an avenue for this team, and more specifically the offense, to learn from its mistakes in Kansas City and be better off for it.
I cannot stress this enough: that was a brutal loss that leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth. You simply cannot lose the way they did. It looked like a team that has finally put it together, get humbled by a team with championship DNA — and that’s precisely why I’m not only refraining from the panic button, even if it’s finally somewhat warranted, but also using this loss as a valuable learning expierence.
Let’s not get it twisted, moral victories are for schmucks, but this Colts team now has the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Goalposts are not being moved, nor are expectations being tempered; this Colts team should win the AFC South for the first time since 2014 and be poised for a playoff run. Now, however, we know that this Colts offense is mortal.
The Chiefs may have been 5-5 going into Week 12, but their champion-led squad is at worst a hard out. With eventual Hall of Famers in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, head coach Andy Reid, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo leading the way, coupled with longtime key cogs in tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones, their floor as a team remains high no matter how much their roster declines.
This wasn’t the same roster that won any of Kansas City’s three Super Bowls, but neither are any two given rosters. The Chiefs are the modern-day New England Patriots for a reason. Perhaps not having the same longevity as them, but they’ve built the closest example since.
Shane Steichen and Andy Reid had two different mindsets entering the fourth quarter. While their schematic philosophies mainly stayed the same, it was how the Chiefs operated in crunch time that suggested that while the Colts aren’t quite ready, they’re knocking on the doorstep. With the game on the line, Indy’s offense reverted to that of its 2022, inept self, while the Chiefs’ offense turned back into the patented offense we’ve watched throughout the 2020s.
I’d be remiss not to acknowledge how one coach has Patrick Mahomes while the other does not, that undeniably plays a factor, but it also goes to show Steichen, Jones, and Co. what ‘it’ looks like. Even though the Chiefs may very well miss out on the playoffs entirely, their roster and coaching staff have elite personnel at the sport’s most important spots, showcasing what it takes to reach the ultimate end goal.
It was just a regular-season game, but it felt like a playoff game. The Chiefs’ season was on the line, while the Colts had the chance to solidify themselves as one of the league’s best. Couple the aforementioned championship-caliber tidbits with the fact that this game was played at Arrowhead Stadium, and it checks out why it felt like more than just a Week 12 matchup. This game determined trajectories, and thankfully for the Colts, they still control their season’s destiny. They may not be able to get this one back, but the good news is that this playoff-esque showing can be used to get their lick back when it does matter most.
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