Colts' Shane Steichen Reveals Feelings on Practice, Game vs. Bengals

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen discussed what he saw in practice and expectations for Indy's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen watches his team warm up Saturday, July 27, 2024, during the Indianapolis Colts’ training camp at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Shane Steichen is a huge fan of joint practices in the preseason.

Since becoming the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts last year, Steichen's squad has participated in six joint practice sessions with four different teams. The practices are intense as the teams face off against a different opponent than those they have battled against all of training camp. Steichen can also open up the playbook more than in the preseason, as the practice film is not shared with the rest of the league.

After two joint practices with the Arizona Cardinals a week ago, the Colts traveled down to the Ohio River to conduct one final joint practice of the preseason with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday. The two teams got in over two hours of highly competitive work, and while the offense and defense had vastly different days, Steichen was happy with what he saw out of his unit.

“Good work today," Steichen remarked after practice. "Got a lot of respect for what Cincinnati does. So we got some good work in. Got some red zone situations. Ended with the two-minute there, some third down stuff. So overall, pleased."

The Colts offense started as shaky as they have been in training camp. The Colts offensive line could not contain the Bengals pass rush, allowing consistent pressure on Anthony Richardson and three would-be sacks. Richardson was forced to leave the pocket often or throw the ball before his receivers were ready, resulting in a 3-of-10 start with an interception. The Bengals' defense began barking, trash-talking Richardson and the rest of the Colts offense for their performance.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws the ball during the Colts’ training camp Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

But about halfway through practice, the Colts offense flipped the switch. The offense moved into hurry-up mode, and Richardson caught fire, finding Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce to move the chains and Adonai Mitchell for a touchdown. Richardson led a masterful two-minute drive that almost culminated in another touchdown to Mitchell, but the Colts had to settle for a Matt Gay field goal to win the period.

Richardson finished the day 7-of-10 with the touchdown to Mitchell, going 10-of-20 in the 11-on-11 period overall. A slow start for the Colts' offense turned into a strong finish. Going through situations like that is not only beneficial for Richardson as a young quarterback but for the offense as a whole when they face tough times during the regular season.

“The two-minute, the competition, the move-the-ball stuff was good, back and forth," Steichen said. "Obviously, I’ve got to go watch the defense, but thought our guys moved the ball well in the move-the-ball situation. And then the two-minute drive was just trying to get a field goal right there to win it at the end. The offense did a really good job."

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The Colts' defense had a much more consistent afternoon against Joe Burrow and the Bengals' offense. While Burrow was a highly efficient 14-of-18 in the 11-on-11 periods, most of his completions were short throws. When Burrow tried to test the defense, he was met with two interceptions by Jaylon Jones and pass deflections from Julian Blackmon and Nick Cross.

The Colts pass rush also had an impact on Burrow. Would-be sacks from Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, and Tyquan Lewis highlighted the day for a Colts defensive line that has been dominant throughout the summer. The effort by the unit kept Burrow and the Bengals' offense out of the endzone all day.

“Obviously, going against a guy like Joe Burrow, who's done a lot of really good things in this league, a really good player that sees it really well," Steichen explained. "I thought our guys did a good job. I wasn't down there in the red zone, but I heard some screaming down there, which like – looks like they did some good things. So I'll go back and watch that tape there. But overall, I thought it was pretty good from what I saw.”

The joint practice accomplished exactly what Steichen wanted for his team. He wanted to see them compete against one of the more dangerous teams in the AFC and see how the Colts would handle the competition. After battling adversity, the team handled it well and showed they could compete with one of the best teams in the conference.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen watches warm ups during a joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The matchup with the Bengals will wrap up the preseason slate for the Colts. Steichen decided to rest most of the starters in Indy's 21-13 win over the Cardinals on Saturday. That will not be the case on Thursday, as the Colts will use their final preseason game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

"Our starters will play about a quarter and a half, probably give or take," Steichen stated. "I mean, some guys might play less, some guys might play more, but want to get those guys out there and run around on Thursday night.”

With the starters playing the most they have all preseason, all eyes will be on Richardson Thursday night. It will be Richardson's first extended playing time since he injured his shoulder last October. Getting Richardson live reps with Jonathan Taylor and the rest of the Colts' offense is imperative for the quarterback's growth and knocking off the rust of not playing football.

Steichen wants to ensure Richardson will stay healthy and come out of the game unscathed as best as possible. But the more situations Richardson and the offense can go through on Thursday night in preparation for the regular season, the better.

“I think it’ll be great. I think it'll be really good for him," Steichen elaborated. "Any time you can get out there in those game-like situations, it's good. Obviously, you want to be smart with these guys in the preseason because we’ve got a long season ahead of us, but we're excited to get those guys out there on Thursday.”

The Colts will turn their attention to the Houston Texans after Thursday night, as Week 1 is a little more than two weeks away. While Steichen has an affinity for joint practices, he is glad they are over for the preseason. Because that means the games that really matter are right around the corner.

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