The Indianapolis Colts have rattled off two wins in a row, which is good news.
That doesn’t mean everything is perfectly fixed, though, and discussions about Shane Steichen won’t totally vanish, even if they do quiet down.
The Colts were 0-2 through two weeks, and it seemed the seat was getting hot for the head coach Steichen, who has never taken the Colts to the playoffs.
Indy began to right the ship with a tight Week 3 win over the Houston Texans.
The Colts made it better with a London win in Week 4 over the Washington Commanders, although that comes with the caveat that Commanders QB1 Jayden Daniels was out with an injury and his backup Marcus Mariota got hurt early on Sunday — most of the game was played by seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis at quarterback.
Still, the Colts and Steichen will take 2-2 over 1-3 or 0-4. They’re just one game back of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South Division.
The first four games won’t determine Steichen’s long-term job status, though. What comes next potentially will.
Shane Steichen Hot Seat Update
ESPN’s insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano do an article in the middle of each week where they break down the buzz of what they’re hearing around the NFL. That often includes coaching chatter.
Steichen was mentioned this week, but not as one of the most concerning spots.
This is how Fowler used Steichen within a larger discussion:
“Not much is clear-cut at this stage. Aaron Glenn is 4-17 with the Jets, but it’s early in his tenure. Will Jets owner Woody Johnson exude patience? Indianapolis’ Shane Steichen and Washington’s Dan Quinn are among coaches who seemingly have gotten a runway to see what their teams do but could help their causes with spirited play and quality wins. And the Chargers couldn’t have anticipated their team hurtling toward irrelevancy in Jim Harbaugh’s third season.”
The word “runway” is definitely a fair one to use with Steichen.
Some coaches who ended last season on a seven-game losing streak after starting 8-2 wouldn’t have gotten a reprieve.
And the 0-2 start to this season had made it nine losses in a row for a coach who still hasn’t gotten the Colts to the playoffs.
But Indy has kept Steichen around. He definitely has a runway, even if somewhere nearby his seat is just about ready to get hot.
Colts Schedule
The biggest key for Steichen right now is to keep the Colts winning.
They don’t actually have a bye after the London game and instead are on the road in Week 5 to play at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Colts then are back home in Week 6 against the Titans before road trips to the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars in Weeks 7 and 8.
That Jags game could go a long way toward deciding the division, and whether the Colts play well over the preceding contests will determine how big a game that really is — both for their season, and maybe even for Steichen’s job.
Colts’ Shane Steichen Hot Seat Isn’t Gone Yet