Colts' Shane Steichen Reflects on Controversial Play Calls vs. Chiefs

For the second time this season, the Indianapolis Colts blew a fourth-quarter lead on the road against a formidable opponent. The Kansas City Chiefs got the best of Shane Steichen's Colts on Sunday afternoon after the offense posted a donut in the fourth quarter. Indy's 11-point lead slowly evaporated, resulting in a third loss of the year.

Critics were quick to point out that Steichen hardly called any rushing plays for Jonathan Taylor in the fourth quarter and overtime. In fact, the Colts called just one rush for Taylor across three drives in the fourth quarter.

Steichen was questioned about his play calling on Monday, and in hindsight, he recognized his faults.

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen looks on before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

"You always go back and self-evaluate those situations," Steichen said. "I really thought that last drive in regulation when we went pass, pass, pass there. Could I have called some runs there? Absolutely, could have called runs (and) ate up some time there. But, (in) hindsight, it didn't work out."

The Colts had three chances to chew clock in the fourth quarter, but each time they were forced to punt. The offense ended the quarter with six total yards.

"I think that last drive in the fourth quarter was the biggest one where we probably could have popped a run on first down," Steichen said. "You throw it on first down, now you're at second-and-10, and then you throw it again. Now you're at third-and-10... and obviously we were short there on the third down. So, that last drive in the fourth quarter, I thought I could have done a better job."

Shane Steichen has thrown the ball 5 straight times and now it’s 3&10 to setup a second straight 3 & out. You have to run the ball once there
— Andrew Fulk (@fulknA) November 23, 2025

Another factor that confused Colts fans was the lack of initiative on fourth downs. All season long, the Colts had been aggressive on fourth down. For some reason, Steichen flipped his mindset against the Chiefs.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Colts had an opportunity to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the Chiefs' 45-yard line while up three points. Instead of taking the risk, Steichen opted to punt the ball back into Patrick Mahomes' hands.

"That was kind of a gut feel there," Steichen said. "It was at the 45-yard line. Our defense, we had the punt to start the third quarter. Another punt (and) they got a takeaway. We were up three (points) there, and I thought, ‘Shoot, let's try to back them up and let them go the long way instead of the short way if we don't get it.’"

"Should I have, could have, would have went for it there? Yeah, possibly," Steichen admitted.

Let's be serious: How do you expect to win when you give Patrick Mahomes this many chances? It's not complicated IMO. If you can't get a first down in the final 18 minutes of the game, you deserve to lose. Period.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 24, 2025

Sign Up For the Colts Daily Digest - OnSI’s Indianapolis Colts Newsletter

Of course, had the offense not converted, Mahomes would have had a short field to work with. If they did convert, though, the win percentage shoots up astronomically.

It's a tough decision, and one that I don't blame Steichen for making. The defense had been playing well, but at the end of the day, it's hard to stop a guy like Mahomes over and over again.

The Colts still had life after Mahomes tied the ballgame. When the game went into overtime, the Colts won the coin toss and elected to receive. That decision backfired, as the Colts went three-and-out and immediately punted to Mahomes again.

Steichen reflected on that choice on Monday.

"You look around the league, I think it's like analytics is like 50-50 split," Steichen explained. "You talk to coaches around the league, it's split. My philosophy is like, ‘Hey, take the ball there, try to go score.’ That's a 10-minute overtime. And if you don't score, you can punt and back them up, and then if you get the stop, you'll probably get one more shot. That's kind of the thought process there."

Harrison Butker wins it for the Chiefs in overtime! pic.twitter.com/0zYacDEPoY
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025

Of course, the Colts didn't score, and all the Chiefs needed was to get in field goal range. The defense forced multiple third downs, but they couldn't stop Mahomes from pushing the ball downfield when it mattered most.

While it's easy to nitpick every detail from a loss, all the focus must be turned toward the Houston Texans. The Colts have a chance to move to 3-0 in AFC South play and pad their lead at the top of the division.

Steichen must figure out a way to close out games against tough opponents. If the Colts can do that, then they'll be a team to fear in the postseason.

Recommended Articles