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Shane Steichen knew that one play would make or break the Indianapolis Colts' season and their playoff chances. Win the game against the Houston Texans and they were in the postseason. Lose it and they were destined to sit on their couches.
The Colts were trailing 23-17 with just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter. A converted touchdown would have given them the win. They needed just one yard on a fourth down to keep the drive going.
Steichen had dialed up multiple runs prior to that play knowing he had to go for it on a fourth down. To come up with the best play call, he took a timeout instead of saving it for later. Then, he sent Tyler Goodson into the game and kept Jonathan Taylor on the sidelines. Gardner Minshew threw a pass that was a little behind Goodson and he dropped it, effectively sealing the loss for Indianapolis and a playoff spot for the Texans.
Wasting a timeout and keeping their biggest offensive weapon, Jonathan Taylor, off the field for the most pivotal play of the season did not sit well with the fans.
Colts fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to lambast their head coach for his decision on the 4th-and-1.
In a more sober world, Shane Steichen has done a fantastic job
Indianapolis fans are clearly upset that they had the chance to make it to the playoffs but literally dropped it. But it was not down to the play-calling. If the ball had been caught, the Colts would have had a chance to score a touchdown and we would be having a different conversation.
The fact that the Colts even had a chance to reach the playoffs going into the final game of the season is largely down to Shane Steichen. Indianapolis Colts had finished 4-12-1 last season. He has dragged them to a 9-8 record this year despite being without Jonathan Taylor at the beginning of the season and the season-ending injury to starting rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Steichen has shown himself to be an asset to the Indianapolis Colts and the franchise is likely to give him time to build around Richardson when he returns. DeMeco Ryans with C.J. Stroud at the Houston Texans has set a perfect template for them.
