Colts' Steichen: Planned to go for win on fourth-and-8 if coverage was right

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  Stephen HolderSep 21, 2026, 02:34 AM ET

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  Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen defended his late-game strategy and playcalling in Indianapolis' 33-30 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, saying he ultimately was going for the win.

With 4:50 left in overtime, quarterback Daniel Jones connected on a 50-yard strike to receiver Laquon Treadwell, giving the Colts a first-and-10 at the Kansas City 17-yard line.

Trailing 30-27, Steichen then dialed up back-to-back runs for Jonathan Taylor, who collectively lost 3 yards.

Steichen defended the decision and said it was not an attempt to be conservative.

"I was trying to finish the game with [Taylor] with the ball in his hands," Steichen said.

That left the Colts facing a third-and-13 that the Chiefs defended well. Jones dropped back but was flushed from the pocket, running for 5 yards before safety Jaden Hicks pushed him out of bounds.

Steichen said he was prepared to go for it on the ensuing fourth-and-8 had the Chiefs showed a favorable defensive coverage for the Colts' playcall. A touchdown would have won the game under the NFL's current overtime format.

"We wanted it to be the last possession," Steichen said.

Steichen called timeout, during which he said he told Jones, "If you love it, man, let's go at it. Let's go win this thing. But if it's not the right look ... let's kick the field goal here."

Kicking a tying field goal presented its own set of challenges, as it meant putting the defense back on the field. The Colts have given up a staggering 1,029 yards in their first two games and struggled against the Chiefs, something that was compounded by starting cornerback Charvarius Ward (groin) having left the game and All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner playing through a rib injury.

Ultimately, the Chiefs showed a coverage that was not conducive to the play's success and the Colts took a delay of game penalty and settled for a field goal. Kansas City subsequently drove down the field and won on a 40-yard Harrison Butker field goal as time expired.

Steichen also addressed his decision to defer after the Colts won the overtime coin toss. He said he preferred having the advantage of knowing what his team needed to do after a Kansas City possession.

"If we go first ... [Patrick] Mahomes gets four downs going the other way," Steichen said. "It could go either way in those situations."