NFL Week 18 Coaching Decisions: Shane Steichen Made the Right Call on Fourth Down

The Colts’ first-year coach did plenty right in 2023, and that shouldn’t be forgotten after his critical fourth-and-1 play didn’t work out against the Texans.

Shane Steichen was a bit of a mystery to the local reporters in Southern California when the Los Angeles Chargers promoted him to be the offensive coordinator midway through a rough 2019 season.

Steichen, who replaced Ken Whisenhunt, often left beat reporters wanting more during his weekly news conferences that averaged less than 10 minutes. (I covered the Chargers for The Orange County Register at the time.) All we knew about Steichen was that he played quarterback at UNLV and many in the building, including Philip Rivers, had high hopes for him as a coach and play-caller. (Also, he reminded me of the actor Dax Shepard.)

Steichen was reserved with reporters as a rookie coordinator, but it was clear then he’d soon be the next offensive mastermind in the NFL. Multiple quarterbacks have flourished under his watch, from Justin Herbert’s record-filled rookie season with the Chargers to helping Jalen Hurts break out with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and ’22.

Steichen turned a four-win team into a playoff contender in his first season as coach of the Colts :: Jenna Watson/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK

I bring all this up to say that everyone who raved about Steichen back then was right about him. He went from being a hotshot offensive coordinator to a Coach of the Year candidate during his first season with the Indianapolis Colts. Oh, and he’s a lot more chatty with the media.

Steichen did plenty right in 2023, and that shouldn’t be forgotten because his well-designed play on a critical fourth-and-1 didn’t work out vs. the Houston Texans last week. Steichen took some heat for not giving the ball to star running back Jonathan Taylor with the game on the line. Instead, Steichen turned to third-string running back Tyler Goodson, who was wide open and had space to gain the first down and more.

But Goodson dropped the poor throw from quarterback Gardner Minshew, as the Texans went on to win 23–19 to eliminate the Colts from playoff contention. But I had no issue with Steichen’s call because it fooled the Houston defense, and the drive probably would have ended with the game-winning touchdown had Minshew and Goodson executed the play.

Also, Taylor was dealing with foot and ankle injuries in the second half, and failed to gain the first down on the prior play. Had Taylor gotten stopped for a second time, many would have called out Steichen for going with the obvious play.

It didn’t work out for Steichen, and it wasn’t a perfect game for him—he also opted for a 57-yard field-goal attempt, which Matt Gay missed midway through the third quarter with the game tied at 14.

But Steichen called a productive game, and might have won if Taylor never left the field to be evaluated for his injuries. He went off for 188 rushing yards, including a 49-yard touchdown run. Also, Steichen continued his yearlong theme of getting many players involved from a roster that was supposed to be among the worst in the NFL. Minshew, Goodson, Zack Moss, Kylen Granson and Mo Alie-Cox are just a few players who stepped up for the Colts during a memorable 2023 season.

The Colts hired the latest offensive guru because they had the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft and were in need of a franchise quarterback. Steichen was the right hire for rookie Anthony Richardson, but what about all the other responsibilities a head coach needs to juggle?

It turns out the quiet coordinator knows how to turn a four-win team into a playoff contender.

Here are other calls we liked—and some that we didn’t like—from Week 18.

Calls we liked

Texans get aggressive on the first play vs. Colts

Collins connected with Stroud on a 75-yard touchdown to put the Texans in front of the Colts :: Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports

The Texans had a lengthy list of injured players, but they quickly hit the Colts on Saturday to set the tone for their drama-filled victory that punched their ticket to postseason.

C.J. Stroud dropped back five steps, followed by a few steps forward before unleashing a high-arching bomb to Nico Collins for a 75-yard touchdown and a 7–3 advantage on Houston’s first offensive snap. The Colts’ defense had no answers for the Stroud-Collins connection, with the stud wideout recording 195 receiving yards.

The quick touchdown sent a message to the Colts that Houston’s depleted receiving corps, which was without Tank Dell, Robert Woods and Noah Brown, wasn’t going to be an issue during the win-and-in Week 18 game.

Wentz gets a fair showcase in Rams’ regular-season finale

I thought it was a classy move by Sean McVay to play most of his starting offensive line to allow Carson Wentz a fair opportunity to showcase himself in the Los Angeles Rams’ regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers.

Wentz had mixed results, but he orchestrated an impressive go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to help end the Rams’ nine-game losing streak to the 49ers in the regular season. Wentz also showed he can make plays with his legs, rushing for 56 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run.

Perhaps the start will give Wentz an opportunity to compete for a starting job next season. Or maybe he decides to stay as Matthew Stafford’s backup because of what McVay did for him last week.

Calls we questioned

Lawrence’s failed stretch at the 1-yard line

Trevor Lawrence shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for calling his own number on the failed fourth-and-goal play from the 1-yard line vs. the Tennessee Titans.

Lawrence stretched his arm at the goal line probably because his team has constantly failed in short-yardage situations this season, which falls on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ coaches. A backfield that includes Travis Etienne Jr., Tank Bigsby and D’Ernest Johnson should produce a lot more than it did in 2023. As a team, the Jaguars averaged 3.6 yards per carry, leading to Doug Pederson deciding to fire running backs coach Bernie Parmalee and a few other assistant coaches.

Lawrence had his own issues in 2023, but it’s easy to understand why he decided to do the heavy lifting throughout a disastrous final month of the season.

Bears’ poor offensive outing vs. Packers

I’ll keep this short because there’s not enough space here to break down the Chicago Bears’ flat performance in the loss against the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears made it into the Packers’ territory on all six of their drives and came away with only nine points. That occurred because of poor play-calling and execution on the field. The futures of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterback Justin Fields are in limbo, and they had a golden opportunity to help their cases by beating Green Bay last week yet couldn’t take advantage.