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The Indianapolis Colts exercised some demons of old when they dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, 30-13.
It was the first win for the Colts over Pittsburgh since 2008, when Peyton Manning was still taking snaps in a Colts uniform. The game didn’t start out great; the Colts spotted Pittsburgh a 13-0 lead; but after the early parts of the 2nd quarter, the Colts defense would clamp down, and the offense would come alive.
This was made even more impressive by the fact that the Colts would go into the game missing several key pieces and would lose a few more before the end of the contest. Braden Smith and Jonathan Taylor were ruled out earlier in the week, while both Michael Pittman Jr and Zack Moss would exit the game and not return.
No starting quarterback. No number 1 wide receiver. Starting running back and his backup gone. For Colts head coach Shane Steichen? No problem.
Steichen dialed up a fantastic game plan, bouncing back from a bad game in Cincinnati and a bad start against the Steelers to thoroughly dominate the Steelers defense. T.J Watt caused problems early, but he was largely neutralized from the 2nd quarter on.
This game largely reflected Steichen’s first season overall at the helm in Indy. First all of the Jonathan Taylor drama, then Anthony Richardson gets hurt, Shaquille Leonard is released, Grover Stewart gets suspended; the list goes on. There have been plenty of issues that could have easily sunk the Colts season.
Instead, Steichen has been a steadying force for the Colts, guiding them through turbulent waters to an 8-6 record and a 3-way tie atop the AFC South. They have 3 winnable games in front of them, and while they will need some help to win the division, the playoffs are a very realistic scenario.
Even without all of the injuries and suspensions, having the Colts in this position would be impressive. To do it with all of those issues arising is worthy of the Coach of the Year award.
Sure, Dan Campbell has done a great job revitalizing the long-suffering Lions, while both Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel have worked wonders for the offenses in San Francisco and Miami, respectively. Throw in Demeco Ryans in Houston and Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, and there are plenty of good candidates. However, none of those coaches have dealt with the level of adversity that Steichen has.
Who knows if Steichen actually does win the award; it does seem somewhat unlikely that he will, which is a shame. As far as I’m concerned, he is by far the most deserving.
Still, even if he doesn’t win, Colts fans should still be happy. If Steichen is able to get this sort of performance out of a team that has had this many injuries, and this many distractions, just imagine what he can do once Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman and more are all healthy, happy, and on the field together.
During Monday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, Stephen Holder of ESPN spoke about the job Shane Steichen has done in his first year.
“He’s a hell of a coach man. We don’t have to sugar coat this, or sort of suggest it, we don’t have to do any of that. The guy’s a hell of a coach…Two things; I just mentioned the mentality that he’s instilled…That’s a huge part of this. But then, you combine that with the fact that schematically, what him and Jim Bob Cooter are doing offensively is off the charts.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Stephen Holder of ESPN down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
