The Indianapolis Colts were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday with an ugly loss to the New York Giants that has raised questions about the job security of head coach Shane Steichen.Asked if he was concerned for his job, Steichen said the matter was out of his hands.
“I control what I can control,” he said bluntly.
Steichen had few answers for what happened in Sunday’s 45-33 loss, which dropped the Colts to 7-9 and put Steichen one game below .500 (16-17) in his two seasons at the helm.
“It’s hard to explain,” Steichen said. “Obviously, you’ve got to play a complete game. We haven’t done it all year. We’ve all got to be on the same page. Weekly, everything we do has got to be razed because to go out there like that is not good enough.”
The Colts fell behind, 21-6, in the first half to the Giants, who entered the game 0-8 at home. Twice the Colts rallied to cut the Giants’ lead to two points in the fourth quarter, but both times the Giants responded with touchdowns.
Joe Flacco started at quarterback for the injured Anthony Richardson and threw for 330 yards and two scores, but he also threw two picks. One came on the Colts’ opening drive; the other came in the closing minutes when it was still a one-score game, all but ending their comeback chances.
But it was hardly all on the offense. Indianapolis’ defense allowed Giants QB Drew Lock to account for five TDs and no turnovers, as Malik Nabers made mincemeat of the Colts’ secondary. That the Colts couldn’t pressure Lock — or sack him once — was also shocking.
Rounding out the terrible performance on special teams, the Colts also missed a field-goal try and allowed a 100-yard kickoff-return TD on the first play of the third quarter.
“It was disappointing as it gets,” Steichen said. “As the leader of the football team, I always say that I’ve got to be better. We’ve all got to be better. It’s a group effort. Everyone’s got to chip in and do their part so stuff like that doesn’t happen.”
The Colts have now seen their playoff hopes end in three of the past four seasons with a late-season loss, with a 4-12-1 season in between. Twice in that span, the Colts have lost to a team that entered the game with the NFL’s worst record — the Jaguars in 2021 and the Giants on Sunday.
Steichen can only take responsibility for the results from the past two seasons, but he has only one home game remaining against the Jaguars to try to finish the season on a higher note. With frustration growing in Indianapolis and the Colts missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season, it’s hard to know how deep the changes will run this offseason and whether Steichen will return for a third season as head coach.
