Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts weren’t participants in Super Wild Card weekend. They missed out on that opportunity when they lost to the Houston Texans in Week 18. Still, at the conclusion of the weekend’s games, Shane Steichen was somehow the topic of discussion.
The final game of Super Wild Card weekend was between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite entering the game as the favorite, Philadelphia was embarrassed, losing the game 32-9. However, the result wasn’t all that surprising considering that the Eagles have been really bad in the second half of the season. They started the year 10-1 but finished with an 11-6 record.
The reason Steichen was brought into the spotlight during Philly’s struggles is that he was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles last season. With him, Philadelphia had an elite offense and went to the Super Bowl. Without him, Philly has looked drastically different.
Remember how good the Eagles were a year ago? Look at them now…. pic.twitter.com/g6jcVZac8z
— Colts Coverage (@Colts_Coverage) January 16, 2024
Eagles miss Colts head coach Shane Steichen
For much of the season, it seemed like Philadelphia didn’t have an offensive identity outside of the tush push/brotherly shove and even that didn’t work in Monday’s playoff loss. Play call and play design was concerning for Philly’s offense throughout the season and it was just evident that things weren’t the same as they were a year ago.
Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, Steichen took over as head coach and made what was a horrendous offense a season ago, one of the league’s most productive units this season. Steichen helped the Colts navigate several obstacles en route to a nine-win season and was a play away from the postseason. While the Colts ultimately missed out, there’s no doubt that Indy’s future is bright and Steichen is a big reason why.
In Philadelphia, however, there’s discussion about possibly firing Nick Sirianni and looking for a new head coach. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but it’s definitely not something the Colts have to worry about, as Indy is confident it has the right head coach.