The Colts took a brutal overtime loss to the Chiefs on Sunday night, and head coach Shane Steichen is out there defending some truly head-scratching decisions that went down. You might be wondering what he was thinking, especially after his team couldn’t close it out. Steichen stood firm, explaining his process even though his squad ultimately took the L.
Coin Toss Madness: Giving Mahomes the Ball?
One of the biggest calls came right after the coin toss to start overtime. The Colts won it, which usually means you get the ball first, right? Nope. Steichen made the wild choice to kick off to the Chiefs. Imagine giving Patrick Mahomes the rock first in sudden death! Steichen’s reasoning? He didn’t want to score first, claiming it would make things too easy for Mahomes. He basically said if the Colts scored first, Mahomes would then get four downs on every possession knowing they had to go for it.
Steichen’s exact words were, “If we go first with it, Mahomes gets four downs going the other way, so we wanted to play defense there and know we had four downs.” Seriously? You trust your defense against Mahomes when he’s got four downs every series more than you trust your offense to score and put the pressure on him? It’s a gamble, no doubt. He acknowledged it, too, adding, “It can go either way in those situations, but we decided to kick off there, and we had a chance at the end. Didn’t finish it.” That last part is the kicker, isn’t it?
The Field Goal Fumble: Why Not Go For Six?
So, how did that play out? The Chiefs, naturally, marched down the field and kicked a field goal on their opening drive in overtime. That left the ball back with the Colts, and the math was simple: a touchdown would win the game, but a field goal would only tie it up. Guess what happened? Steichen’s crew settled for the game-tying field goal rather than pushing for the game-winning touchdown at the end of their one and only overtime possession. You’ve got the chance to win right there, seal the deal, and you kick to tie? This after giving Mahomes the ball first!
It all comes back to Steichen’s decisions. Winning the coin toss and choosing to kick, then getting the ball back and not going for the kill shot. Those are the kinds of calls that get you questioned hard after a loss like that.
The Colts have to rebound quickly from this one. Next up, they’ll be looking to put this overtime fiasco behind them and get back on track. It’s going to be a tough week of film study and answering questions about strategy, that’s for sure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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