The Indianapolis Colts finally got a victory, and it could not have come in a better spot. After losing nine straight dating back to last season, Indy defeated the Houston Texans to push the AFC West rival to 0-3. Indy is now 1-2, but how much did the win cool head coach Shane Steichen's hot seat?
The easy answer is a bit. Nearly any win is better than adding to the losing streak, of course, and having the defense play so much better than in the first two games of 2026 was promising. The issue is that one victory means nothing if it is then followed by a loss.
Indianapolis travels to play the Washington Commanders in London, England, in Week 4, and the game is another Steichen, and his team should win. Washington could be without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels due to a recently dislocated elbow, but even if he plays, Indy has the better roster.
Shane Steichen slightly cools off his hot seat after the Colts' comeback win over the Texans
What Steichen needs to do a better job of, and one he has struggled with this season and before, is time management and play calls late in games. He will give reasons for doing what he does, of course, but does that make his decisions correct? Maybe not.
In Week 2's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he called two straight run plays in overtime to attempt to get closer to the end zone. The first play didn't work and set up a 2nd-and-9; the second play failed even worse and shouldn't have been run.
In Week 3, after Houston had come back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, 17-16, Steichen appeared content to methodically move the ball down the field to a point where a field goal could be attempted. Thankfully, kicker Spencer Shrader made a 53-yard field goal to win the game, but the Colts could have moved the ball closer.
Instead, Steichen let the clock tick down, taking a risk that Shrader would make the long attempt. The head coach made the kicker's job harder, however. What could have been a 40-yard try had Steichen used some of his timeouts and plays not had to be rushed was one from beyond 50. That's a gamble that paid off once, but might not do so again.
Still, Steichen should be applauded for scoring 19 points on a very good Texans defense when the Indianapolis Colts were without their only true consistent deep threat, wide receiver Alec Pierce. That will be the case moving forward for the foreseeable future, too. Pierce will be out for at least three more games.
The Washington Commanders are terrible in pass defense, but good against the run. This means Steichen should have a game plan ready to throw the ball quite a bit and effectively. If Indianapolis gets its second straight win and heads back to the United States 2-2, all is good. If Steichen tries to force the run too much and Indy loses, well...fans will feel differently.
Current Heat: 8
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