The Indianapolis Colts suffered a brutal blow to their playoff hopes with elimination. It was a season where owner Carlie-Irsay Gordon was a regular in the practice sessions, not a common sight on NFL teams. Head coach Shane Steichen tried every move he could to win games. But his future is uncertain now.

However, former Colts offensive coordinator and interim head coach Bruce Arians thinks the owner should give the head coach more chances.

“I hope the Colts don’t make a change, because I think they’re close…be patient, you’re very, very close. Don’t let one or two injuries run you out of the whole damn thing,” Arians said on the December 31 episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

The reason behind patience is their brilliant start to the season. They went into the bye week with an 8-2 record. Yet, a familiar foe marred their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. Injuries! Starting quarterback Daniel Jones was having a brilliant season before the Achilles tendon injury in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars turned everything upside down. His overall stint has been like this.

Shane Steichen signed a six-year contract as the Colts’ head coach. In his first season in 2023, they needed to win the season finale against the divisional rivals Houston Texans, but failed and were eliminated with a 9-8 record. In the following year, they had an 8-9 record, again failing to find a playoff berth.

The calls to fire him got loud in 2024 as well. But owner Jim Irsay retained him after the overtime win in the season finale. This year, Carlie Irsay-Gordon has seen everything closely and understands how things went wrong. She has been a part of the practice, watching Shane Steichen prepare his players. Both sides have put the discussion on hold.

“I have not had those conversations with Carlie,” the head coach said during a Week 18 press conference.

Now that they have failed to qualify for the playoffs for their third consecutive season, things could go both ways. Arians is right. They are very close. But the repeated mistakes have spoiled their campaigns.

Shane Steichen fails again to find a playoff berth

Things changed after the bye week. The Colts lost three games in a row before Jones was out for the season. Backup Anthony Richardson was already on the injured reserve (IR) with an eye injury. It forced Shane Steichen to unretire his trusted quarterback, Philip Rivers.

Since Carlie-Irsay Gordon regularly talks with the head coach, they must have discussed the decision in detail. But the move was unsuccessful as they lost all three games, making their loss tally six after the bye week. Shane Steichen could have used their third quarterback on the depth chart at the time of Jones’ injury, sixth-round pick (189th overall), Riley Leonard.

However, the Texans won their Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, eliminating their divisional rivals from the playoffs. The Colts became the first team since 1995 to miss the postseason after an 8-2 start. A terrible record might nudge the owner to push the exit button on Shane Steichen.

Top Stories

Cowboys Fire Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus: Contract, Salary, NFL Earnings & More

Russell Wilson Announces Retirement Stance as Giants QB Shares Hidden Injury News

Dolphins Reportedly Indecisive About Mike McDaniel as GM Search Kicks Off

Joe Flacco Makes Retirement Decision Clear as Bengals QB’s Final Gesture for Ja’Marr Chase Draws Attention

Brian Schottenheimer Calls Out Controversial Jaxson Dart Incident as Cowboys Star Awaits NFL Punishment

Injuries have played the spoilsport, and they were caught unprepared. The situation is more twisted than one can think.