Shane Steichen takes blame for Indianapolis Colts’ loss to Minnesota Vikings

When Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced this week: Joe Flacco would take over as the starting quarterback instead Anthony RichardsonIt was a decision he fully embraced, and he made it with winning in mind.

“(I)feel like Joe gave us the best chance to win,” he said Wednesday.

It certainly didn’t look like that on Sunday night. Colts offense Had his worst performance of the season opposite Minnesota Vikingsfell to 21-13 in prime time. The Indy offense scored just two touchdowns on the night and looked as stagnant as ever with Flacco under center.

If this is the offense the Colts deliver the rest of the way, it’s fair to wonder how many more games they’ll actually win this season.

“Obviously, it was very disappointing to go out and not be able to complete it,” Steichen said after the game. “It all starts with me. I’m the head coach. I’m responsible for everything on the field, so I wasn’t good enough.”

‘I wasn’t good enough’ was a phrase Steichen often uttered after matches this season, but the results did not improve. It’s not an exaggeration to say the Colts’ offense hasn’t looked this bad all year. Steichen’s unit posted season lows in points (6), red zones (0), first downs (13), yards (227) and expected points added per play (EPA) (-0.35). The Colts also failed to reach the red zone the entire game.

Steichen had no answer for Brian Flores’ defense in the week when he made a big change at the most important position.

“Kudos to Minnesota, too. They did a lot of good things, but I’m still the head coach,” Steichen said. “Everything that happens on the field, there’s my name on it. Defensively they did a lot of good things. They mixed up their coverage, blitz looks. We knew going into the game it was going to be a tough challenge. We played a good football team but at the end of the day it wasn’t good enough and I thought it was better for the players.” I had to be good.”

It is now known that the Vikings’ defense is one of the most aggressive and exotic defenses in the NFL. They rush at the highest rate in the league and use multiple looks and disguises to disrupt attacks in their play. It is a difficult challenge to prepare for.

But when you look at the raw numbers, the Vikings came into this game with the 30th-ranked pass defense in football, giving up 263 yards per game. They had proven to be strong against the run (third-best run defense), but they would also have opportunities for success through the air.

Success never came as Flacco was at fault and seemed to feel the pressure before he even got there. Flacco completed 16-of-27 (59%) for 179 yards and an interception while being sacked three times. Consistency and ability to keep the offense on track, the main reasons why Flacco was named the starter over Richardson, did not materialize.

What happens next for the Colts? Never miss any news and analysis! Take a second and Sign up for our free newsletter and get Colts news delivered daily to your inbox!

While Steichen wouldn’t comment on Flacco’s performance on the field, he believes the quarterback handles the environment well and puts the blame on himself.

“He was good,” Steichen said of Flacco. “Of course, he’s played in environments like this before, but again, it starts with me becoming the head coach.”

The Colts running game was also having trouble getting going. Indy mustered just 68 yards on 19 carries, averaging 3.6 yards. Jonathan Taylor He tried his best, but all he could manage was 48 yards as the Vikings’ defense focused on not letting Taylor beat them.

The running game being less dynamic is another side effect of benching Richardson. The threat of the Colts running a quarterback with Flacco is zero, allowing the defense to take the kickoff against Taylor to honor Richardson’s ability on the field. It takes away the dynamic aspect of the offense that the Colts desperately need.

“We need to run the football there efficiently with JT and stuff, but we’ll fix that,” Steichen said. “I have full faith and confidence that they will clean this up in the future.”

Even worse, the Colts are wasted. A great defensive effort with all of their top playmakers making an impact.. Curly Stewart And DeForest Buckner In the middle were monsters dominating the interior of the Vikings’ defensive line. They recorded three of the Colts’ four sacks on the afternoon; This included a spectacular strip sack collected by Stewart. Kenny Moore II for the Colts’ only goal of the evening.

Speaking of Moore, he and Zaire Franklin They were making very important moves for defense. Franklin and Nick Cross He noted that Sam Darnold was intercepted twice. Kwity Paye And Dayo Odeyingbo We were in the backfield all night. This was again a tremendous effort for a team that was on the field for most of the match.

The box score may indicate that the Colts gave up 415 yards of total offense to the Vikings; this included All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson with 137 yards. But Gus Bradley’s group did enough to give the Colts the game win if the offense had stalled on the deal.

“I thought Gus and the other guys did a great job of forcing turnovers,” Steichen admitted. “They played well the whole game. They really did. Frankly, they kept us in the game the whole time.
The turnover there is the first one that got us a goal there. But I thought our defense did a great job.”

‘Win now’ The Colts suddenly found themselves at 4-5, losing two straight games for the second time this season and falling below .500 again. Despite the loss, the Colts remain just one game out of the final wildcard spot in the AFC with eight games remaining. They still have a path to make the playoffs, but they won’t get there if the offense continues to produce like it did Sunday night.

Steichen and the Colts made it clear when they moved from Richardson to Flacco that they were sacrificing long-term development for short-term success. They ratcheted up the tension by raising expectations that they were going to the playoffs and needed the best option at the moment. It’s either playoffs or bust for this Colts team.

But after this performance, who’s to say Flacco gave them the best chance to win? Steichen said last night that the Colts will stick with Flacco ‘right now,’ so a move back to Richardson isn’t expected anytime soon. But if Steichen wants this to be solved, he needs to find answers quickly.

“I’ve got to keep looking at what we’re doing offensively, you know what I mean?” Steichen explained. “We’ve got eight games left. We’re halfway through the year now. Take a look at the plan and what we’re doing and go from there.”

Steichen made his bed with Flacco and now he has to lie there. And if this doesn’t work and the Colts miss the playoffs, that bed and Steichen’s chair will feel a lot warmer come season’s end.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the show Horseshoe Meeting Podcast!

To follow Horseshoe Meeting Open Facebook And Xand subscribe YouTube for more than one Colts livestream podcast per week.