Colts' Shane Steichen Uses 'Pass to Score, Run to Win' to Beat Raiders
When speaking to reporters just five days ago after a brutal loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was asked what his team needed to do to bounce back for the final two games of the season. Steichen was clear in his message.
"It starts with the weekly preparation," Steichen explained. "I’ve been saying it all year. It’s like, ‘Hey, what are you guys going to change? Is anything going to change with what’s at line?’ No, if we change what we’re doing now, then we haven’t been doing it right all year. We’ve got to go out and execute, have a great week of preparation and go get it done.”
The Colts were not going to change anything. Steichen reiterated his team needed to execute at a high level and continue to stick to the core principles that had gotten them to this point. If the Colts did that, he had confidence they would rebound and be just fine.
That was put to the test on Sunday against a dangerous Las Vegas Raiders squad, winners of two straight. The result? Steichen stuck to his guns, and they were too powerful for the Raiders as the Colts came out on top 23-20. The win sets up a winner-take-all contest next Saturday between the Colts and Houston Texans for a spot in the playoffs.
"Good win, obviously," Steichen said after the game. "Any time you win in this league, it's good and we've got to get ready to go on to Houston now.”
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) runs into the end zone for a touchdown as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson (21) gives chase during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
© Robert Scheer/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
But before we focus on the game against the Texans, it is important to analyze how the Colts rebounded and took down the Raiders. Not only did the Colts demonstrate their resilience, a quality Steichen has brought to this team, but they stuck to their core principles in their game plan. As Steichen said back in February, "We're going to throw to score points and run to win."
The passing game for the Colts provided huge jolts to the offense all game long. It started on the very first drive of the game when Gardner Minshew escaped from the pocket and fired a pass downfield to Josh Downs for a 50-yard gain. Three plays later, Jonathan Taylor took it in for his sixth touchdown of the season to put the Colts up 7-0.
“It was huge," Steichen admitted about the play. "Third down scramble there by Gardner, and then him wheeling back out of that thing was huge. To go down there and get seven points, six-play drive I believe, was huge."
The Colts were not done there with the explosive pass plays. With just under four minutes left in the first half, Indy faced a third-and-one from their own 42-yard line. Instead of running into the pile, Steichen dialed up a shot. Minshew faked the handoff to Trey Sermon and uncorked a bomb to Alec Pierce for a 58-yard touchdown. Lucas Oil Stadium erupted as the Colts made it a 14-3 game.
“They were in a zero look, no deep safeties and something we saw on tape," Steichen elaborated. "If it was zero like that, we got a chance to throw one over the top, we got to max it up and got the look. Shoot, Gardner made a heck of a play stepping into that throw leading Alec across the field. No one was over there and catching it in stride to go score was huge.”
With the Colts leading into the second half, it was time to finish the job. Steichen turned to his stable of running backs to secure the win. Although the Colts have had trouble running the football at times this season, the head coach trusted his backs and the guys up front.
Taylor ran the ball effectively all afternoon. The $42 million running back had a much better performance than a week ago, finishing with 96 yards on 21 carries (4.6 ypc) and a touchdown. Taylor, along with Sermon, got the Colts tough yardage down the stretch to continue moving the chains.
"Obviously when you're popping some runs there, keep running it if it's working, right?" Steichen quipped. "J.T. popped a few big ones there and shoot, when you're down to one, two yards it's hard to call runs sometimes. But when you're popping them for four, five, six, seven, 10 – obviously, it's good to run it.”
The offensive line also played a major role in the Colts' success on Sunday. With the return of Braden Smith, Indy only allowed one sack of Minshew on the day and averaged 4.6 yards per carry on the ground. The offensive line imposed its will on the Raiders defensive front, especially late in the game, giving the Colts the momentum needed to secure the win.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs the ball while Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (90) defends in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
"Credit to the guys up front leading the charge, creating those holes for them," Steichen remarked. "I know we got some stuff on the perimeter today, the one Trey hit around the edge was huge. To get those runs, pop those runs – it's good. And then the guys feed off that stuff. The offensive line feeds off it. Tight ends feed off it. Running backs feed off it. Sidelines feed off it. It's good momentum when you're popping runs like that.”
The Colts earned a tough victory over the Raiders on the back of their core principles. Steichen stayed aggressive in his approach, attacking the Raiders through the air and finishing them off with smash-mouth football. The resilience Steichen has instilled in this group was on display yet again, as the team was able to put the loss to the Falcons behind them and get back on track.
The Week 17 win sets up a Week 18 showdown with the Texans on Saturday in prime time. The winner earns a spot in the AFC playoffs and potentially the AFC South crown. The loser will begin clearing out their lockers the next day.
Steichen has done a tremendous job getting the Colts to this point. However, getting here is not good enough. The Colts are about to find out what they are really made of next week.
"I think we are going to find out a lot about ourselves," Steichen said. "Obviously, we found out a lot about ourselves throughout this season but tomorrow, we know that we've got to win – next week we have to win. Our focus is strictly on Houston now, we’re moving on to them.”
The Colts bounced back against the Raiders, but can they finish against the Texans? Week 18 will be for all the marbles, and you can expect Steichen will have his group ready to battle until the very end.
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