The Indianapolis Colts move to 4-1 after demolishing the Las Vegas Raiders. The Colts played Outside of the opening drive by the Raiders, which ended in a field goal. The Colts' defense shut down the Raiders' offense and forced multiple turnovers deep in Raiders territory. But one common denominator has been the leadership of Shane Steichen.
Part of the Eagles Super Bowl team in their loss to the Chiefs a few years ago, Steichen was brought in with the plan to draft Anthony Richardson and develop him into Jalen Hurts. While Richardson lost the starting job to Daniel Jones, the offense has been a historical powerhouse for the Colts this season.
Not only does Steichen have the offense playing well, but he went out and got an aggressive defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo. In the previous years, the Colts played a soft cover-2 zone under Gus Bradly, and the young secondary was routinely outplayed in critical positions. Steichen believed the aggressive nature of Anarumo would help the secondary, and he wasn't wrong.
Colts' Shane Steichen has earned the respect of the team and the NFL
Indianapolis leads the NFL with more than eight yards per pass attempt, and has the leading NFL rusher in Jonathan Taylor. Scoring another three touchdowns, Taylor is securing himself as an elite running back, and combined with rookie sensation Tyler Warren, the Colts are building an extremely balanced offense.
On the defensive side, Chris Ballard finally realized that free agency exists and good players are looking for jobs. He bolstered the secondary, and the past few years have drafted impact players like Liatu Latu, who secured his second interception of the season today as well.
However, the most important part of this team is the head coach, Shane Steichen. By the end of the 3rd quarter, the Colts outgained the Raiders nearly 250 yards to under 20 in the quarter alone. The Colts' defense adjusted in the first quarter and began clamping down and pinning their ears back to get to the quarterback.
Up 40-3 at the start of the 4th quarter, the Colts have finally found their groove in large part due to the coaching scheme and finding ways to win. The mark of an elite team is beating up on bad teams and staying in close games against other elite teams. Their sole loss on the season could have been negated without a holding penalty, and if AD Mitchell had held on to the ball for a half-second longer.
As the Colts enter October, they are 4-1, stand atop the AFC South, and have the best scoring offense in the league, all thanks to Shane Steichen.