INDIANAPOLIS – Shane Steichen offered a mea culpa, and those are always easier to deal with after what transpired Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Less than 24 hours after his Indianapolis Colts chased down Denver 29-28 as time expired on Spencer Shrader’s 45-yard field goal, Steichen conceded he made things more difficult than they needed to be.
The second game-winning kick of Shrader’s six-game career came after his head coach went ultra-conservative in an attempt at draining the final seconds off the clock. The game would be determined by what would have been a club-record 60-yard field goal.
“Probably should have been more aggressive there,’’ Steichen said Monday afternoon.
Daniel Jones’ 7-yard completion to Alec Pierce converted a third-and-6 and gave the Colts a first down at the Denver 43 with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining.
“We were in field goal range,’’ Steichen said after the game, adding he was intent on not giving the Broncos any time to answer if Shrader’s kick was true.
Three Jonathan Taylor runs netted 1 yard, leaving Shrader with a 60-yard attempt. His career-long was a 48-yarder in the opener against Miami.
Shrader missed badly from 60 – short and right – when he felt pressure that disrupted his routine.
But.
The Broncos were penalized for leverage, and Shrader had a do-over, 15 yards closer.
He ended things.
“I got swarmed so fast,’’ said the Westfield native. “I looked up, saw it going through and it was like – Bang!
“It was joy.’’
Steichen and special teams coordinator Brian Mason had enough faith in Shrader to release veteran Matt Guy during the offseason. He’s done nothing but reinforce that trust by opening the season 9-for-9, best in the NFL.
“Got a lot of faith in Spence to make a kick,’’ Steichen said, “but don’t want to put him in those situations from that deep.
“We had three timeouts, probably could have thrown the ball on second or third down there in that situation to get it closer for the field goal. So, learn from that. Obviously, don’t want to do that to our guys again, but obviously found a way to win there, thankfully.’’
Stat pack
The Colts’ first 2-0 start since 2009 has been a study in efficiency, and a nice fresh start for Jones.
Indy is No. 2 in total offense (445.5 yards per game) and No. 4 in scoring (31.0) while the defense is No. 5 in yards (267.5) and No. 10 in points (18.0).
Jones ranks No. 2 in passing yards (588), No. 3 in yards per attempt (9.3), No. 5 in completion percentage (71.4) and No. 6 in passer rating (111.1).
Taylor leads the league in rushing (236 yards) and total yards from scrimmage (313).
Here are a few other tidbits. The Colts:
- Are the first team in NFL history to score on each of its first 10 possessions to open a season. Dating back to 2024, their 11-possession streak is tied for the most at any point in a season, dating back to 1993.
- Are the first team in the Super Bowl era to not punt in its first two games. In 2004, the Peyton Manning-led offense didn’t punt in consecutive playoff wins against Denver and Kansas City.
- Haven’t suffered a turnover in their first two games for the first time in team history.
- Have gotten four takeaways by Lou Anarumo’s defense, the most in the first two games since 2011.
Howard: Short memory
Sunday wasn’t exactly a game to remember for Xavien Howard. The perennial Pro Bowl cornerback was beaten by Marvin Mims Jr. on a 23-yard touchdown, then endured a series in the second quarter that saw him penalized three times in five plays.
“He’ll learn from it and grow,’’ Steichen said.
Howard agreed. He signed with the Colts on Aug. 18 after not playing in 2024.
“They attacked me with a lot of quick stuff, quick slants and stuff like ‘now’ routes,’’ Howard said Monday. “I knew a team was going to attack me early on in the season. I’ve been off a little minute, so I knew guys want to see me early on in the season.’’
After the possession in question, Anarumo met Howard on the sideline and put his arm around him.
“Just holding me accountable,’’ Howard said. “Telling me (to) work my hands and stuff like that, what the calls I was getting is getting thrown on me.’’
How quickly is Howard able to move past a difficult stretch?
“That’s how I work, man,’’ he said. “I feel like as a cornerback, you have to have a short-term memory, just like quarterbacks.
“Plays are going to happen. Just got to move on and keep going.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.