Shane Steichen of the Colts should win Coach of the Year after winning in Week 18.
eek 18.
With a 9-7 record, the Indianapolis Colts can secure a postseason spot with a win over the Houston Texans. Although the Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold the tiebreaker over Indianapolis, the Colts still have a chance to win the AFC South and host a playoff game if they can secure support from the Tennessee Titans.
Additionally, a victory would bolster Shane Steichen’s candidacy for Coach of the Year. The Colts, under Steichen’s direction, have emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 campaign.
The Coach of the Year award has gone to a coach who has overseen a notable improvement from the previous season in recent years. The Colts were predicted to place in the lower half of the AFC standings after a four-win season in 2022.
The league didn’t appear to be buying what Indianapolis was selling, despite a promising start. There was a belief among many in the NFL that they would return, but that was untrue. The Colts will, at the very least, end the season with five more victories than they did the year before. The Texans are the only team that has made more progress in that area.
More astonishingly, Steichen has accomplished this with little skill. The Colts didn’t make many off-season purchases, and their starting lineup doesn’t appear to be much better than it was for the previous campaign. Indianapolis has performed better than they could have ever imagined, and a large part of that can be attributed to the coaching staff.
The COTY award also always emphasizes facing and conquering adversity. The Colts’ unfortunate season has received little attention for whatever reason.
fourth overall choice Since Anthony Richardson underwent surgery in October to end his season, Gardner Minshew II has started in his place. For a number of reasons, the Colts’ loss was noteworthy. Richardson, the first, was much further along in his development than many scouts had predicted. Second, Richardson missed out on crucial game experience, which probably stunted his development.
Having a potent run game is one of the best ways to relieve pressure on a backup quarterback. After his holdout, Jonathan Taylor was primed for a big season after inking an extension. Regretfully, there were injuries once more. This season, Taylor has only made six starts and his average yardage per carry is a career low of four.
Most teams would have been defeated by this alone. Before the season, the Colts weren’t thought to be contenders, and player injuries combined with inexperienced coaches seemed to be a surefire formula for failure. Nevertheless, the group persisted and managed to win games.
The Colts are ranked tenth in points scored and fifteenth in yards per game thanks to Steichen’s steady hand in the offense. Steichen mustered his team in what appeared to be a lost season and went on to lead one of the year’s most unlikely playoff contenders. It is indicative of Steichen’s adaptability that the offense was able to function with improvised parts and without outstanding talent at the skill positions.
