Did Shane Steichen let the Colts down by going away from Jonathan Taylor in the teams Week 12 loss to the Chiefs
Colts head coach Shane Steichen is catching a lot of blame from fans for the teams Week 12 loss to the Chiefs, but does he actually deserve it?
The Indianapolis Colts were in a prime position to come away with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs late into their Week 12 matchup. They were up 20-9 heading into the fourth quarter and had the ball with the chance to go up three scores.
The team couldn’t capitalize, and on top of the Chiefs’ scoring 11 points in the fourth, the Colts went ice cold on offense. The team finished the game with four straight three-and-outs, including overtime. That put their defense, which played really well, in an impossible spot. What made this even worse was that the Colts gave Taylor only one rushing attempt in the fourth quarter and two in overtime.
Did Shane Steichen cost the Colts a win by going away from Taylor and the run game?
Going away from Jonathan Taylor and the run game was a mistake
It was evident early into this game that the Chiefs had one primary goal on the defensive end: Don’t let Jonathan Taylor beat us. The Colts played a stacked box for most of the game, and Taylor struggled to get anything going as a result. He finished with 58 yards on 16 rushing attempts, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and added two receptions for eight yards.
Taylor’s longest run of the game was a 27-yard rip. If you take that away, he had 31 yards on 15 carries for just under 2.1 yards per carry. So it’s fair to say the run game wasn’t working. The Colts needed to generate enough success through the air in the second half to force the Chiefs out of stacking the box, but it just didn’t happen.
Therefore, I don’t blame Steichen for going to Jones and the passing game as much as I blame the players for not getting the job done.
After starting 16-of-20 with two touchdowns, Jones finished 3-of-11 without a single first down. In a perfect world, Jones and the passing game would throw the Chiefs out of stacking the box early in the fourth quarter, allowing Steichen to lean heavily on Taylor down the stretch. That didn’t happen, though, and the Colts saw what looked like a win slip out of their hands as a result.
Credit to Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs’ defense for making Jones uncomfortable throughout the fourth quarter. However, when you watch the tape, you notice multiple missed opportunities by Jones and the passing game that they would love to have back.
This loss hurts, but the Colts still control their own destiny, and it starts with two crucial AFC South matchups in Weeks 13 and 14.
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