Like every other NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts entered 2025 with a myriad of questions.
Who would be the starting quarterback? Can the defense turn things around under a new scheme? Is head coach Shane Steichen on the hot seat if Indy underperforms?
Due to an electric start leading to overperformance in the first half of the season, the third question seems to have been answered with a big fat no. Steichen has the Colts at 8-3 through 11 games, turned quarterback Daniel Jones’ career around and supervised Lou Anarumo’s defensive revolution.
But Steichen isn’t perfect, and Sunday’s 23-20 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on the road proved that. Indianapolis came away with its third defeat of the season, but will take more back home than another tally in the loss column. With the schedule only ramping up in difficulty down the stretch, the Colts came away with a number of important lessons as they gear up for a postseason push.
The game started about as well as Indianapolis could’ve asked for. After punting on the game’s opening drive, Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu made an excellent individual play, batting a pass attempt by Patrick Mahomes II to himself for an interception deep inside the Kansas City red zone.
Jones and the offense took care of the rest, taking an early 7-0 lead with Michael Pittman Jr.’s seventh touchdown grab of the season. Indy continued to build a lead, one they would take into halftime 14-9.
But the offense sputtered in the second half. The only points the Colts could manage came on field goals, both inside the red zone.
First lesson learned—the margins against good teams are razor-thin. Settle for field goals or see your offensive momentum peter out and you will find yourself in close games down the stretch. Foot can never come off the gas. If it does, be prepared to face the consequences.
Just like Sunday. Instead of leaning on his best playmaker to help see the games out, Steichen got too cute.
The head coach called just one run play for Jonathan Taylor in the fourth quarter. He had just two touches in the entire final 15 minutes. When Steichen arrived in Indianapolis, he established quickly that his playcalling philosophy is, “throw to score, run to win.” Despite leading by 11 with the ball, Steichen called three consecutive series which resulted in three-and-outs.
Guess who never touched the ball.
In a complete shakeup, Steichen abandoned his philosophy entirely. As a coach and playcaller, moving away from your best player on offense is a questionable move, especially with how well Taylor fits your offensive mindset.
Taylor needs the ball. Simple. Getting away from the run game entirely will not lead to success for the Colts, as proven on Sunday. Better learned now than in January with the season on the line.
Due to their lack of ball control (just 3:14 of possession in the fourth quarter), the Colts put way too much responsibility on their defense’s shoulders. Give Anarumo’s unit credit, they held Kansas City to just one touchdown and turned them over twice. The defense did its job and more, but the lack of offensive success late put too much on their plate.
And one can only eat so much. It was only a matter of time before the defense cracked given how long they spent on the field. Kansas City comfortably controlled time of possession, 42:35 to 25:28. Even when the Colts held a two-score lead, they turned away from the run game, resulting in stagnation.
To be fair to the Chiefs, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo adjusted well to Taylor and the run game. Kansas City began bringing more defenders into the box on run downs, putting pressure on the Colts to beat them with execution.
But that leads into another point—the Colts never adjusted to the adjustments.
When the opposition changes plans and has success, as a team you must find a way to react. The Colts never did—unless you count abandoning the ground game. The postseason, and in Indy’s case, the rest of the regular season, will have to be about finding ways to punch back. Fail to do so, and an early exit is on the horizon.
Oh, and penalties don’t help either. The Colts committed 11 for 83 yards, four of which gave Kansas City an automatic first down.
Those are handouts. Playoff teams take handouts and punish your mistakes. Indianapolis lacked the discipline to avoid giving out freebies.
In fact, penalties have started to become a bit of an issue for the Colts. They’ve quietly been one of the most undisciplined teams in the league this season, 7.7 flags per game over their last three outings.
Suffice to say, the Colts have to return to the drawing board. Return to the old offensive philosophy or come up with a new one.
A heavy AFC South schedule, plus playoff-caliber NFC teams as well set the stage for a difficult end of the regular season. With the top seed in the AFC becoming further out of reach after a Patriots win on Sunday, the focus has to be on taking the division title.
There are four games to go in the AFC South, including two against second-place Houston, who travel to Indianapolis next week.
We’ll see just how much urgency Indianapolis is willing to play with given what’s at stake.
