April 8, 2026, 11:55 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
Last season, the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> again missed the playoffs and had a below .500 record. The season also ended on a seven-game losing streak. However, Shane Steichen has moved up in the early 2026 head coaching rankings.<\/p>\n Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports<\/a> put together his ranking of the 32 head coaches. Steichen came in at No. 15, which is five spots up from where he was at on this list last offseason.<\/p>\n The caveat is that the new hires were not a part of these rankings. So Steichen comes in at No. 15 out of just 22 returning head coaches.<\/p>\n “We are trying to answer an either\/or question with\u00a0Shane Steichen,” Daugherty wrote. “Does he deserve credit for keeping a dysfunctional franchise on the tracks, or blame for remaining mired at .500? I tend to believe the former, but it\u2019s easy to indulge in the latter after Indy started 8-2 last season only to collapse out of the playoffs before Week 18 even started.”<\/p>\n In his three seasons as the\u00a0Colts<\/a>‘ head coach, Indianapolis has been — average. Steichen has a\u00a0record of 25-26<\/a>\u00a0during that span with no postseason appearances.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n The good from Steichen’s tenure is that he has shown to be a strong game planner and play caller. Through 10 games last season, with steady quarterback play, we saw the full capabilities of the Steichen offense, with this unit being one of the most productive in football.<\/p>\n Also impressive was Steichen’s ability to mold the Colts<\/a>‘ offense around the late-season addition of Phillip Rivers on the fly and then make week-to-week changes.<\/p>\n That said, the NFL is about results, and over the course of a full season, those results haven’t been there for Steichen’s Colts. The team has had good stretches, but failed to put together a full 17-game season, often struggling later in the year in those must-win games.<\/p>\n