INDIANPOOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen chose the safe play in overtime Sunday night.
It proved costly then and it could prove costly later if the playoffs are involved.
After deciding to start overtime by kicking off, holding the Chiefs to a field goal and then moving inside the Chiefs 20-yard line, Steichen made three conservative play calls before settling for the tying field goal and giving two-time league MVP and three-time
Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes one last chance to win the game.
Naturally, he did.
Mahomes quickly moved Kansas City (2-0) into position for Harrison Butker's 40-yard field goal as time expired for a second straight overtime loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Afterward, Steichen explained he wanted the Colts' top offensive playmaker, Jonathan Taylor, to close out the game.
“We were trying to score there," Steichen said Monday. "The thought process was J.T. there on that, we had four downs and then you had the second down situation. I thought we could pop a run, get it to third-and-manageable and then, you know, you have two downs to go for it. It didn't work out in that situation, and any time you don't get the results you want, obviously, you second-guess things.”
Steichen considered going for the winning touchdown on fourth-and-8 from the Chiefs 15. He kept the offense on the field, hoping to get a favorable look from Kansas City's defense, and when it didn't happen, Indy took a delay of game penalty and kicked the 38-yard field goal with 3:11 to go.
Mahomes responded by doing what he does best — producing game-winning drives.
The result: Indy (0-2) extended the league's longest active losing streak to nine, and the decisions won't help Steichen's stock in a season team co-owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has described as critical for Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard.
Some Colts fans compared it to Steichen's decision to punt from his 40 on the first possession of overtime last November at Kansas City. Mahomes did the same thing then, leading the Chiefs on an 87-yard drive to set up Butker's 27-yard game winning kick.
But whether it was last season or Sunday night, Steichen did what he thought was right and he didn't back down from those decisions Monday.
“It's a results-based, a results-driven league and if you don't get the results you want, obviously, you're going to look back on some things that didn't go your way," he said. “That's part of it, that's the NFL. So in those situations, we've just got to go out and do our job the best we can do, to go find a way to win.”
Josh Downs. Taylor had another terrific game with 132 total yards rushing and two TD runs, but Downs delivered while being pressed into the No. 1 receiver's role because of Alec Pierce's heal injury. Downs caught seven of the nine passes thrown his way for 72 yards and helped give the offense some much-needed balance.
Tackling. Indy has given up 74 points in its first two games and has allowed more than 500 yards in each game, which ranks among the worst in league history. The problem in Week 1 seemed to be misalignments in part because safety Camryn Bynum was the on-field play-caller. The problem Sunday night, they needed extra tacklers to corral RBs Kenneth Walker III and Emmett Johnson or TE Travis Kelce.
Laquon Treadwell. The receiver nearly became the goat of the game when he appeared to fumble a 48-yard completion that the Chiefs recovered. But a replay review overturned the fumble and nearly turned Treadwell into the hero. That wasn't his only contribution. He had a 10-yard reception on Indy's first TD drive and drew a 26-yard pass interference penalty to set up a field goal.
Keenan Allen. The six-time Pro Bowler finished with just one reception for 5 yards despite being targeted five times. But it wasn't just the numbers. Allen failed to wrestle the ball away from Kristian Fulton on Indy's second series, which led to a Chiefs TD. He also failed to catch two third down passes.
Pierce did not return after leaving in the first half, and Steichen said Monday that the X-rays came back negative, but that he did aggravate something in the same leg he had ankle surgery in March. CB Charvarius Ward left in the second half with groin tightness, but Steichen said he would know more about Ward's availability later this week.
191 — The Colts defense has allowed 1,029 yards through games — 191 yards more than every team other than the Detroit Lions, who have allowed 915 yards this season. Carolina ranks 30th with 838 yards, entering Monday.
The offense and special teams looked markedly better in Week 2, and the defense also improved despite giving up so much yardage against yet another league MVP. But it's still not good enough. Indy must continue to work on the basics — tackling, coverage and proper alignments — to avoid yet another loss against the winless Texans.
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