Shane Steichen had a simple idea in overtime against the Chiefs: put the ball in Jonathan Taylor’s hands and let him end it.
When the Colts got a first down inside Kansas City’s red zone after referees reviewed Laquon Treadwell’s catch and ruled he’d been downed by contact, Steichen wanted to ride his star back to the finish line. The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium was already furious, and Indianapolis had a real shot to leave with a touchdown.
“I was trying to finish the game with JT, with the ball in his hands,” Steichen said.
That plan made sense based on how the game had unfolded. With Alec Pierce out injured and the passing game shortened, Taylor had been the player keeping the Colts alive. He powered in a 24-yard touchdown in the second quarter and later added a 5-yard score in the fourth, repeatedly giving Indianapolis a way back against a Kansas City offense that kept hammering a struggling Colts defense.
Taylor has long been Indianapolis’ most reliable red-zone weapon, and Steichen has taken heat before for not leaning on him in big spots. The criticism has followed him through several painful moments, including the Colts’ 2023 season finale and a loss in Kansas City a year ago. This time, Steichen wanted no doubt about the intent.
“In that situation, we wanted it to be the last possession for us,” Steichen said. “We were going to run it there in that situation, let JT win it at the end.”
The Chiefs shut that down fast.
Drue Tranquill stopped Taylor for a 1-yard loss on first down. Nick Bolton followed by dropping him for a 2-yard loss on the next snap. Steichen still wanted a chance to finish the job, so on third-and-13 he called a pass for Daniel Jones, who tucked it and picked up five yards.
“Went through the read, didn’t see anybody open,” Jones said.
The Colts stayed on the field, but Steichen said the decision to keep going came with a built-in escape hatch. He told Jones to take a delay of game if Kansas City showed the wrong look.
“If you love it, man, let’s go get it, let’s go win this thing,” Steichen told Jones. “But if it’s not the right look, shoot, let’s get a field goal there.”
That’s exactly what happened. Jones got to the line and saw a defense the Colts didn’t want. On fourth-and-8, Indianapolis backed off the play and settled for Spencer Shrader’s 38-yard field goal, which tied the game at 30.
“It was fourth-and-8, had a play called, had to love the look to run it there,” Steichen said. “If not, obviously we took the delay and kicked the field goal there.”
Indianapolis still needed one more stop to get another crack at winning it. The defense never gave them that chance, and the Colts left Kansas City with a loss that sat just 17 yards away from being a win.
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