Colts head coach Shane Steichen shines as offensive playcaller in this regard compared to his peers

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - OCTOBER 12: Tyler Warren #84 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates a touchdown with head coach Shane Steichen of the Indianapolis Colts against the Arizona Cardinals during the first quarter in the game at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images

According to SharpFootball's Warren Sharp, Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has shined in this regard compared to his league coaching peers. It's his early game offensive scripting of plays which has directly led to production and most importantly, a lot of scored points:

Shane Steichen is the most underrated, undervalued play scripter in the NFL

became Colts HC in 2023 & 1st qtrs since:

top-3 in points/drive
top-3 in scores/drive
top-3 in punts/drive

DESPITE starting QBs of:

15 starts - Anthony Richardson
13 starts - Gardner Minshew
13 starts... pic.twitter.com/aCL78SSvqH

- Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 21, 2026

There obviously is a lot of confidence internally regarding Steichen's offensive play-calling among team owner and CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon and her two sisters. It's one of the big reasons why the Colts chose to run it back with Steichen despite him missing the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as Indianapolis' head coach.

Rightfully so too, as he's obtained production with Gardner Minshew, Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers, and Riley Leonard all starting at quarterback for the Colts in recent years. While it didn't translate to a playoff berth, it did show that Steichen is able to tailor his offensive gameplan to his starting quarterback's strengths.

We've seen the Colts get off to hot starts in games too, which speaks to Steichen's ability to effectively script and know the opposing defense's weaknesses and tendencies to begin weekly matchups.

It's just a matter of the Colts continuing to make adjustments after halftime, as opposing defenses adjust, keep that high level of play up during the second half of games, and finish the game like they started it.... strong.