Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen hasn’t gotten a lot of positive reviews lately.
He didn’t help his cause on Sunday in Week 10 with a fourth-down decision against the Miami Dolphins.
Steichen may not be the Colts’ next season. If he’s not, it won’t just depend on what he did on fourth down late in the third quarter on Sunday.
But it’s worth analyzing, because it certainly didn’t seem like a great call at the time.
Shane Steichen 4th-Down Decision
Let’s set the scene here for the Colts.
They were leading 21-16 when they were driving in the last few minutes of the third quarter.
The Colts set up with a fourth-and-1 at the Miami 33-yard line.
A field goal, if made from 51 yards, would put the Colts up eight points — still a one-possession game.
The other option was to pursue one yard, potentially with Jonathan Taylor, Daniel Jones or even their quirky Tyler Warren run package.
The Colts chose to kick.
The good news is Shrader made the 51-yarder to go up eight.
But that lack of going for a touchdown could matter in the final score line.
Quick Response by Dolphins
It’s worth noting that Steichen’s decision did get a bit of quick validation.
The Dolphins passed their way down the field and ended up in the end zone when Kyle McCord carried a QB draw in from short range.
But having been down eight, they had to go for 2. They threw incomplete, and so the Colts held a 24-22 lead.
That made Steichen look smart for having kicked the field goal.
Of course, if the Colts had capped a touchdown drive, they could still lead by more than a field goal. Instead, they’re up just two points and could lose the lead on a kick.
The McCord touchdown came in the first 10 seconds of the fourth quarter. There’s still a lot of ball left to be played. It’ll be interesting to see how the Steichen decision ages.
Colts Coach Shane Steichen Under Fire for 4th-Down Decision