The Indianapolis Colts have revived their season after an 0-2 start. The team has suddenly won back-to-back contests and returned to .500. Next up for Shane Steichen and Company will be the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two organizations are both 2-2, so this will be a critical AFC matchup, despite it only being October. The winner will earn a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage that could prove to be relevant come January. One thing to watch is the Steelers’ reliance on big plays. The goal for Mike McCarthy’s group will be to terrorize and make things difficult for Daniels Jones.
The Colts quarterback has four interceptions in as many games, which is more than his three touchdowns. This has to be somewhat of a concern for Steichen. Momentum shifts are very important in the NFL, and Indianapolis has been on the bad end of some of them.
Colts’ Steichen Sends A Message To Jones
The head coach in Indianapolis spoke with the media on Monday. The Athletic‘s James Boyd was present for this availability, and something stuck out about the signal-caller’s turnovers. Steichen addressed the topic and didn’t shy away from warning Jones that he has to kill the play if nothing is there.
“It’s one of those things like when the play’s over, it’s over, right? We don’t need to try to make something happen there if nothing’s open in those situations,” Steichen stated, per Boyd.
This wasn’t a very subtle reaction from Steichen. He was not afraid to publicly make an example out of Jones. He has faith in his guy, but doesn’t want him to be making silly mistakes.
It wasn’t all negative from the Colts head coach. He made sure to note that he has all of the belief in the world in Jones.
“I got a ton of confidence in him and I told that to him like, ‘Shoot, we got a ton of confidence in you. This football team does.’ And I have no doubt that he’ll get it rolling,” Steichen said, per Boyd.
Indianapolis will be headed to a hostile environment, and the Steelers are coming off of a brutal AFC North loss to the Cleveland Browns. Additionally, the Colts are returning from an international game. It won’t be easy to turn everything around quickly.
Another Big AFC Contest Awaits The Colts
Finding a way to win three games in a row after an unsettling start to the year would be ideal for Steichen’s group. One thing that could be a big determining factor in that is Jones and turnovers. He is going to have to pay attention to that.
The quarterback threw three interceptions in a 27-20 loss in Pittsburgh a season ago. This time around, he is going to need to protect the football. Steichen made sure to call that out on Monday.
Colts’ Shane Steichen Sends Daniel Jones Blunt Warning