Shane Steichen Refuses to Accept Reality of Colts' QB Situation

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen continues to stick with Joe Flacco despite terrible play, looking incompetent in the process.

Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

As the Indianapolis Colts ran onto the field against the Buffalo Bills, the motorcycle that led the team onto the field sputtered multiple times as it tried to get re-fired. It turned into a bad omen for what was about to transpire for the Colts offense.

Indy dropped their third-straight game on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Bills 30-20 to bring the team to a 4-6 record. The loss was not the fault of Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 114 yards and provided explosiveness to the offense. It was not the receivers' fault, as Josh Downs, AD Mitchell, and Alec Pierce got open and made plays when given the opportunity. The defense did their job as well, forcing two turnovers and keeping the Bills under their season average in points.

No, this loss falls on the shoulders of the two men who have been in the headlines for the past two weeks for the Colts: Joe Flacco and Shane Steichen. Flacco was abysmal against the Bills, committing four turnovers and consistently hurting the Colts throughout the game. He finished the day 26-of-35 (74%) for 272 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a fumble lost in the defeat.

It was an embarrassing performance from Flacco a week after laying an egg against the Minnesota Vikings. After the "win now" move from Steichen to bench Anthony Richardson in favor of Flacco, the Colts have not been farther from winning all season. So, does Steichen have any plans to go back to Richardson?

"Until I say otherwise, right now Joe is our guy right now,” Steichen said defiantly after the game.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) fires off a pass as Buffalo Bills defenders move in Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It appears a switch at quarterback will not be made, making the Colts' head coach and the entire organization all the more incompetent.

To put Flacco's putrid performance into perspective, the veteran recorded -13.0 expected points added (EPA) against the Bills, the lowest by a Colts quarterback in a game this season. On top of that, Flacco has generated -22.1 EPA since taking over as the starter, the second-fewest in the NFL. It has been a disaster at the most important position on the field for Indy over the past two weeks.

Joe Flacco recorded -13.0 EPA yesterday against the Bills, the lowest by a Colts quarterback in a game this season.

Since taking over as the Colts starter, Flacco has generated -22.1 EPA, the second fewest in the NFL.

— Andrew Moore (@AndrewMooreNFL) November 11, 2024

But Steichen is not interested in chatting about Flacco's performance on the field. The real difference is in what Flacco can provide that cannot be measured.

“Just his veteran leadership that he brings to our football team,” Steichen stated. "Just a guy that's a veteran guy. Obviously, we've had two games that he'd like to have back, but we'll keep battling through it, see where it goes.”

The only things Steichen can point to as to why the Colts are sticking with Flacco at this point are his leadership – which seems lacking considering his uninterested look on the sidelines – and because he has been in the league for 17 years. Not exactly a stellar pitch when all the parts around the quarterback are doing their jobs, and the losses continue to pile up.

The fans seem to have reached their wit's end, booing the Colts' offense off the field after each Flacco turnover. Boos even rang out when Flacco continued to come onto the field for the Colts on Sunday.

A fanbase that was promised a long-term solution at quarterback and preached at to practice patience in that quarterback's development by this regime now feels lied to by that same regime who made a franchise-altering move all for it to pan out in the worst way possible.

The Colts heard the boos on Sunday and know that unless things change for the better, they will only get louder.

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"We’ve got to give them something to cheer about," Steichen admitted. "Obviously, we're not moving the ball. We’ve got to be better. We’ve got to go back, and freaking get it cleaned up."

"This is a humbling game," Flacco remarked. "This league is tough. You're going to have to deal with things like that from time to time. It's unfortunate. You don't want to put yourself in that situation, but we can only look at ourselves. I can only look at myself in terms of why that's happening. It is what it is.”

Players in the locker room are also becoming fed up with the Colts' situation. Cornerback Kenny Moore II, a captain and very well-respected voice in the locker room, spoke out uncharacteristically about the team's recent struggles. If Moore is willing to comment publicly about the team's effort and direction, chances are high that others in the locker room feel the same way.

"I don't think everybody is working as hard as possible," Moore said. "I'm not the type to sugarcoat it. Honestly, I don't think the urgency is there. I don't think the details are there. I don't think the effort is there. I don't see everything correlating from meetings to practice to the games, and it shows.

"We gotta look ourselves in the mirror, we gotta ask ourselves how bad we want it. ... To go out and do the same mistakes over and over, that's what drives me insane as a player. Individually, that's what drives me insane. ... We're in November and I just don't see us making that jump from September to November, I'm seeing the same thing. Honestly, it's just, year to year, it's the same thing."

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco (15) reacts after throwing his first pass of the game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, during a game against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The pass was intercepted by Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) and run back for a touchdown. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In fairness to Flacco, the root of the blame should not be placed on him. Yes, he is to blame for his poor performance. But Flacco was thrust into this situation by Steichen and the Colts' decision-makers to be the savior and lead the team to a playoff berth. While he may still believe he can play at a high level, Flacco will have to start proving it before the majority of people will begin to believe again.

"You eventually have to turn it and go out there and play well," Flacco said. "The only way you can do that is keep your head up high and go out there and attack the week just like you have been doing. Don't change, don't blink. Throughout the week, that may not be enough, but eventually, like I said, you have to go out there and you have to play well and prove that we can play well enough to win football games.”

Until Flacco can begin playing at a high level and win football games for the Colts, the calls for Richardson to be named the starter again will only get louder. While Richardson continues to work on his game both on and off the field behind the scenes, Steichen has stated he has not thought of going back to the 22-year-old at this time. If Sunday's debacle from Flacco does not at least make Steichen reconsider his decision at quarterback, what will?

“I think we look at everything every week," Steichen declared. "I'll go back and look at the tape, but right now, Joe is our guy.”

The reality is Steichen and the Colts made a grave mistake benching Richardson for Flacco in a 'win now' move that has only resulted in loss, dysfunction, and what looks to be a frustrated locker room. Until Steichen accepts that reality and moves back to Richardson, he risks the organization going into more disarray and losing the locker room entirely.

And when the locker room is lost, it is hard to ever regain it.

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