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The Colts and the Browns were expected to have a low scoring, grind it out type of game.
The exact opposite happened.
Instead, the teams put up a combined 77 points, with several explosive plays on both sides. This was especially surprising coming from the Colts offense. Entering the game, the Browns defense was the best defensive squad in the league. They had shut down one of the top offenses in the 49ers, and Myles Garrett has been establishing himself as a potential DPOY candidate.
The Colts put up 456 yards, and 38 points on that vaunted Browns unit. They did so with their backup quarterback, and their backup right tackle. The Colts are the last remaining team to have put up 20 or more points in each game they’ve played this season. Clearly, head coach Shane Steichen’s offense is working.
Have there been mistakes? Absolutely.
The end of the first half against the Browns was a complete disaster for the Colts offense. They also had an opportunity at the end of the game to get a long drive going, run the clock down, and win. Instead, they went 3-and-out, and had to punt. The Browns, naturally, went right down the field and scored the game winning touchdown. Were there some questionable calls (to put it mildly) from the refs? Yes. Could the Colts have avoided being in that scenario entirely. Also yes.
That being said, Steichen has, for the most part, been exactly as advertised. As he gains more experience, we should hopefully see him improve with the nuances that go into being a head coach of an NFL team, such as game management. He has already proven himself as a capable designer of an offense. If he does take that next step, the Colts might just have something special on their hands.
During Monday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Stephen Holder of ESPN about the loss to the Browns, and the performance of Steichen’s offense. Listen to Johns full conversation with Stephen down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
