Colts coach Shane Steichen explains decision to settle for a field goal against Patrick Mahomes in overtime
· Yahoo Sports
During the current Kansas City Chiefs dynasty, one mantra have proved true more than the rest: There's always enough time on the clock for Patrick Mahomes to do something special. Unfortunately for the Indianapolis Colts and their fans, head coach Shane Steichen seemed to forget that rule during the team's overtime loss to the Chiefs on Sunday night.
With the Colts trailing by three — and roughly three minutes left to play — Steichen put his faith in his defense, deciding to kick a game-tying field goal and give the ball back to Mahomes with roughly three minutes to play. You already know what happened next.
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Mahomes drove the Chiefs down the field and got the team in position for a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Chiefs converted that kick, winning the contest 33-30.
After the game, Steichen explained his thinking on that fourth-down play. The coach said he told quarterback Daniel Jones to go for it if the Chiefs' defense gave Jones a good look. But if the defense presented a less-than-optimal look, Jones was told to just take the field goal.
Despite admitting he gave Jones that option, Steichen said the team wanted that to be the final possession of the game, per ESPN.
"We wanted it to be the last possession," Steichen said.
Steichen called timeout, during which he said he told Jones, "If you love it, man, let's go at it. Let's go win this thing. But if it's not the right look ... let's kick the field goal here."
Steichen also defended his play calling prior to that fourth down. On the first play of the drive, Jones found wideout Laquan Treadwell for a 48-yard gain. That set the Giants up with a first down at the 17-yard line. In a situation where the team only needed a touchdown to win the game, Steichen opted to run the ball twice with Jonathan Taylor. The Chiefs were ready for that, causing Taylor to lose three yards.
Steichen said he wasn't trying to be conservative with those play calls, he simply wanted to end the contest with the ball in Taylor's hands. On the surface, it’s not the worst strategy, as Taylor is the team’s best offensive player and scored two touchdowns earlier in the contest.
Knowing that, however, the Chiefs were able to easily counter those play calls, putting the game in the hands of Jones.
That decision paid off. Jones ran on third down after he was unable to find an open man. That set up the crucial 4th and 8 … and led to the Colts deciding to take the points.
While going for it on 4th and 8 would have been a risky move, Steichen ultimately decided to trust his defense against Mahomes. That strategy ended the way it has many times before, with Mahomes coming out on top.
If there’s an upside for the Colts, it’s — hopefully — that Steichen learned his lesson. If his team can rally from an 0-2 start to make the playoffs, Steichen could find himself in a similar spot against the Chiefs in the playoffs.
In that moment, Colts fans will have to hope Steichen won’t hesitate. Thanks to Sunday’s game, he knows what happens when you give the ball back to Mahomes with a game on the line.