KANSAS CITY – Shane Steichen, the Colts’ famously aggressive, confident offensive-minded head coach, faced what was an all but game-icing fourth-down conversion opportunity late in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Chiefs … and punted the ball, up 20-17, handing legendary Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes the ball and just under five minutes to tie or win the game in regulation.
Asked postgame about why he didn’t go for it – the Colts were 7-for-9 on fourth down attempts over their last two games, including 5-for-5 in a 27-20 loss to the Steelers Nov. 2 – Steichen felt confident punting was the proper call.
“We always have those conversations before the game about what might happen, and then in the game, in the moment, those (thoughts) go through your mind,” he said. “We were just trying to back them up there. Shoot, we had the lead, up three. Why not?
“If we don’t get it there, they’re going to be in great field position. That’s why.”
After riding a 14-9 lead into halftime and a 20-9 advantage into the fourth quarter, the Colts had already stumbled to two consecutive three-and-out drives in the period – one following a recovered fumble with the Chiefs in the red zone, and another where an incomplete pass on 3rd-and-3 forced another kick from punter Rigoberto Sanchez.
In this instance, though, Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones and the Colts offense had started at their own 49 and picked up 6 yards on 3rd-and-10 on a completion to Michael Pittman Jr. Had they gone for it and picked up the first down, at minimum, it might’ve offered an opportunity to at least push into field goal range to force Mahomes to score a touchdown on its final drive rather than just needing a field goal to extend the game into overtime.
And in a worst-case scenario – though the Colts were notably hesitant to rush the ball in the fourth quarter and overtime, doing so three times for one yard – the move could’ve bled more than two minutes off the game clock and then allowed for a short, coffin-corner punt to pin the Chiefs deep with two minutes less to work with at a time where there was just under five minutes left in regulation.
Not converting would’ve given Kansas City the ball around their own 45, perhaps needing as little as one first down to put kicker Harrison Butker in field goal range.
Sanchez unleashed a stellar 39-yard punt after a delay game of penalty that, with a 3-yard return by the Chiefs and an offensive holding penalty, pushed Kansas City back to its own 6-yard-line.
A 47-yard catch-and-run on third down by Rashee Rice less than 30 seconds after the Colts’ punt put the Chiefs offense already past where they would’ve started, had the Colts attempted a fourth-down conversation and come up short.
“Obviously, it’s very frustrating,” Steichen said of his team falling apart off their bye to kick off the league’s toughest closing stretch schedule. “It wasn’t up to our standards today. We’ve gotta get better, and it starts with me.”
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts’ Shane Steichen on not going for it on 4th down late vs Chiefs
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
