Shane Steichen might get fired now. He might get fired later.
Steichen might even turn things miraculously around and make it seem silly that his firing was ever a topic of conversation in the first place.
But the reality is this: If Steichen is fired, especially if it’s sooner rather than later, it’ll be the Week 6 Sunday loss to the Tennessee Titans that made it happen.
The Titans came to Indianapolis with no wins on the season. They left with one.
It was 26-20 on the final scoreboard, and the Colts have no one to blame but themselves.
And at this point, it’s what the Steichen era feels like. Even when there are reasons to believe, they are fleeting. The fun hasn’t lasted at any point during this Steichen era.
A home loss to an 0-5 Titans team? That’s a new low.
Is Shane Steichen Being Fired?
Steichen hasn’t been fired as of the moments immediately following Sunday’s game, but it’s going to be a hot topic of conversation.
Put simply, Steichen’s seat is red hot.
If he was fired, no one would be confused as to why.
Shane Steichen’s Missing Colts Feat
Steichen hasn’t led the Colts to the playoffs.
No matter what else he achieves, that hangs over everything. This is the NFL. Teams play to win games. They play to make the playoffs. They play to reach the Super Bowl.
And Steichen has had teams capable of making the playoffs, but they haven’t done it yet.
One Reason for Grace
The only thing that is keeping this from looking worse for Steichen is that last season was an unlucky one.
They started the year 8-2, but then Daniel Jones was hurt, and the Colts lost their last seven games of the year to miss the playoffs entirely. Sure, they had Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard playing quarterback down the stretch, but it’s still a near-inexcusable collapse.
It’s not totally Steichen’s fault that the Anthony Richardson pick didn’t work out, either, so there are others that can be blamed here.
Steichen, though, surely has plenty of fault in this.
So What Now?
The Colts go to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in Week 7.
Will Steichen be there? Will Jones still be starting? Everything should be on the table after a loss like the one to the Titans on Sunday.
Maybe the Colts choose to wait a few weeks, to give Steichen one final stretch of a chance before giving up.
But if Indy wants to compete this season, they might have to make a change sooner rather than later — before it’s too late.
If Shane Steichen Gets Fired, This Is The Colts’ Loss That Will Do it