Colts' Shane Steichen Provides Reasoning for Loss vs. Ravens

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen was not pleased with his team's performance against the Baltimore Ravens.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen looks on during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

24 hours after the Indianapolis Colts were embarrassed by the Ravens in Week 1, head coach Shane Steichen was still fuming about his team's performance.

“After having a chance to watch the tape, extremely disappointing in all three phases – the way we came out yesterday and started the season," Steichen admitted on Monday. "We’ve got a lot to clean up moving forward."

The Colts were dominated in every aspect on Sunday as the Ravens took control early and never looked back. The defense gave up over 500 yards to Lamar Jackson and company, while the offense coughed up the ball twice and failed to find a rhythm.

The thrashing by the Ravens was a massive wake-up call for a Colts team that is in playoffs-or-bust mode this season. Once Steichen had a chance to review the film and talk over what happened with his players and coaches, he came away with the same conclusion we all did while watching in real time.

"I think things that we’ve got to improve on (is) communication, tackling," Steichen remarked. "We’ve got to limit the explosive plays, special teams penalties. We’ve got to clean those up, and then we got to be better offensively just moving the ball, staying consistent there, especially in backed-up situations. I think we had four of those that we’ve got to do a good job of getting out of those situations.”

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen looks on during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Communication issues seemed prevalent on the defensive side of the ball. The Colts were still trying to get lined up when the Ravens snapped the ball on multiple occasions, leading to explosive plays and poor execution. If the defense cannot get lined up correctly, the entire unit is already a step behind before the play even begins.

Some have wondered whether part of the communication issues could be because safety Cam Bynum is wearing the "green dot" for the defense, meaning he receives the defensive calls into his helmet from Lou Anarumo and relays them to the rest of the group. While Bynum is a very smart, cerebral player, that responsibility usually falls to a linebacker in the middle of the defense.

It seems easier for a linebacker to communicate the defensive calls in the middle of the defense than for Bynum to make adjustments from 15-20 yards off the line of scrimmage in his safety position. But Steichen feels the issue goes deeper than that.

“Yeah, that's new for Cam for sure. But I think it's not about just one guy," Steichen explained. "I think it's everybody. It's just getting back in the huddle, getting the call, getting the checks at the line of scrimmage. Obviously guys, DBs are running around covering routes, but you’ve got to get back in that huddle as quickly as possible so the communication can be on point moving forward.”

While the defense must clean up communication and execution issues before the Colts take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, the offense must do a better job of combating the pressure that opposing defenses throw at them. While the offensive line was solid in the running game, Daniel Jones was pressured on numerous occasions, and the passing game struggled.

Steichen acknowledged that the protection plan and execution need to improve from Jones down to the offensive line. Jones and center Tanor Bortolini need to do a better job of identifying where the pressure is coming from before the snap and adjust the calls to ensure the Colts are in the right play.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) lets a pass fly as Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks (24) closes in Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, during a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"They brought some single-backer pressures and blitzed Kyle (Hamilton) off the edge a few times that got home. So, credit to them, but those are correctable," Steichen stated. "That's again, communication, locking in where we're at on all those things. But I’ve got a ton of confidence in Tony (Sparano Jr.) and our protection schemes and all that stuff moving forward.”

"I think a couple of those, I got to do a better job getting us in the right play and the right situation," Jones said after the game. "So, I'll certainly go back and learn from that. And yeah, I think stuff we can all learn from in those situations.”

But Steichen is also at fault for allowing the Ravens to succeed when blitzing. The Colts didn’t adjust to quicker-developing plays and routes, leaving Jones to sit back in the pocket searching for answers as the pressure closed in. Steichen must improve by adjusting his play-call selection and putting the offense in a better position to succeed in those situations.

"I’ve got to do a good job at calling it when the pressure is coming and getting our guys into spots to be open versus whether it's three-deep, three-under or whatever it may be, or playing Cover-2 behind it. All those different things to have answers when that blitz does happen.”

Things won't be getting any easier for the Colts this week as they head to Arrowhead Stadium for a primetime matchup. The Chiefs looked like their normal selves in Week 1, convincingly taking down a Denver Broncos team that reached the AFC Championship last season.

If the Colts don't want to be Kansas City's next victim, Steichen and his squad will need to produce a much better showing in all facets than what we saw at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

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