Over the past couple of years, the Indianapolis Colts have been a true Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde type of team. They've usually looked like a legitimate contender early on in the season, only to collapse when it matters the most.
Back in 2023, in Steichen's first year with the team, the Colts lost the season finale to the Houston Texans, dropping their record to 9-8 and missing a chance to win the AFC South. Then, in 2024, they lost two of their four games after the bye week, falling to 8-9 and, again, short of the title.
Then, last season, the debacle was even bigger and more painful. The team closed out the season on a seven-game losing streak, falling from 8-2 to 8-9 and way out of the playoff picture. That's why, when asked about what the team needs to do to get over the hump, general manager Chris Ballard had one simple answer: They must finish seasons better.
The Indianapolis Colts need to peak when it counts
"We gotta finish at the end of the year, better. All 17 games, they all count," Ballard said (h/t Matt Taylor). "That last five, six, seven games — they always say the season starts at Thanksgiving. You keep yourself in it, and when Thanksgiving hits, you gotta be playing good football. Because once December... That's when the teams that start to rise and play well usually do well."
Of course, knowing what's wrong with a team is the easy part. Now, he must ensure the operation actually helps them in that regard. Maybe they wear themselves out in the first half of the season, or perhaps they fail to make adjustments after teams already catch up to them. Maybe it's a combination of both.
Whatever the case, that's simply unacceptable. Pretenders play well when other teams are gearing up, but true contenders rise to the occasion when the margin for error gets narrower; they enter playoff mode long before the postseason actually hits.
Notably, it's not like the Colts will have much wiggle room in the first half of the season, either. Last year's late-season debacle left a bad taste in the front office's mouth, and Steichen and Ballard are entering the season with a seat that will get blazing hot if they don't have a winning record by Week 4.
Coach Steichen has done a good job with the hand he's been given for the most part, especially at quarterback. That said, results matter, and it will be hard to justify keeping him around if his team deflates in the final stretch again.
Last year's collapse was probably a fluke, a perfect storm that saw everything that could've gone wrong go wrong. The chances of that happening again in 2026 are slim, but the Colts' bad ends to seasons have been a worrisome trend in the Steichen era nonetheless.
The football gods may have finally done them some favors this time around. Six of their final nine games will come against teams that didn't make the playoffs last season (Cowboys, Dolphins, Giants, Titans, Bengals, and Browns). As such, there's no more room for excuses or misfortunes: It's time to take care of business.
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