NFL Panic Meter: History isn't on side of 0-2 Colts and Shane Steichen. Playing it safe in OT vs. Patrick Mahomes could cost him

Shane Steichen failed to make the playoffs in each of his first three seasons coaching the Indianapolis Colts , and many teams wouldn't be patient enough to give him a fourth shot at it.

The Colts brought back Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard, but Colts CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon made it very clear that time was running out. During her postseason media conference she said: "I'm pissed. We're all pissed."

"We have been very clear with Chris and Shane that giving them another opportunity means that the sense of urgency for them to deliver and perform has never been higher," Irsay-Gordon said.

While all teams who start 0-2 should be worried, it seems especially ominous for Steichen.

The Colts fought hard in Sunday night's game at Kansas City, but that wasn't the focus after the Chiefs won in overtime. It was Steichen's decision to kick a field goal and tie the game in overtime, giving Patrick Mahomes more than enough time to drive downfield and win it. He did, and the Colts lost 33-30 . It was the ninth straight loss for the Colts. The hot start of last season is long forgotten.

The issues in overtime started with two straight runs to Jonathan Taylor that lost 3 yards just as the Colts had driven deep into Chiefs' territory. It's reasonable considering Taylor is Indianapolis' best player, but it looked bad when the Colts suddenly faced a third-and-13.

"I was trying to finish the game with JT, put the ball in his hands," Steichen said, via the team's site .

When Indianapolis faced a fourth-and-8, there was a decision to be made. A field goal would likely result in a tie at best considering there was a little more than three minutes remaining. And the Colts, with a defense that has given up a league-worst 1,029 yards this season, gave Mahomes a chance to win with a field goal. It's not completely unreasonable to kick the field goal in that spot, but it looks bad if it doesn't work.

Steichen said the Colts were going to run a fourth-down play but only if the Chiefs lined up with a defensive look they were hoping for. When the Colts didn't like the defensive look they got, Steichen called a timeout and took the field goal.

Like the rest of Steichen's Colts tenure, it was close to being good, and that's not going to cut it. Steichen went 9-8 his first season and 8-9 in each of the two seasons after that. Last season was cruel with a 7-1 start that fell apart, especially after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. It's clear Jones is still working back from that injury and not at his best yet, which makes it tough on the Colts and Steichen. But the NFL doesn't care much about excuses, and Steichen already got one pass for Jones' injury last season. Only 24 of 200 (12%) of teams that started the season 0-2 made the playoffs from 2002-25, according to USA Today . If the Colts don't make the playoffs for the fourth time in Steichen's four seasons, there's a good chance Irsay-Gordon will feel compelled to make a change. The odds are against him, like they were when he gave Mahomes a chance to win Sunday night.

Panic meter: Steichen might have the hottest seat among all NFL head coaches, unless it belongs to Todd Bowles.

The Buccaneers losing to the Browns on Sunday was miserable. It wouldn't have been good regardless of what came before it, but the loss being a continuation of all the Buccaneers' issues since the middle of last season is a really bad look for Bowles.

Bowles is 35-35 as Buccaneers head coach. While that's not terrible, he's trending in the wrong direction. Last season, the Buccaneers went from 6-2 to blowing the NFC South, which was one of the worst divisions in NFL history. They finished 8-9. This season they're off to an 0-2 start. Tampa Bay lost the opener at Cincinnati , and it was a winnable game if the Bucs didn't have four turnovers. They were sloppy again on Sunday against a Browns team that was blown out in Week 1, and have been sloppy in most games since that 6-2 start in 2025.

What stands out is Tampa Bay's defense let Deshaun Watson beat it. Watson had his best game, in terms of EPA per play, of his Browns career. Bowles is a defensive coach and he hasn't had a defense rank in the top half of the league in yards and points allowed since 2022.

Bowles probably was close to being fired after last season's collapse. But Tampa Bay brought him back, and the early season results are poor. Losing to the Browns has to be unacceptable. It's early in the season, but not too early to have a close eye on Bowles' job security if Tampa Bay doesn't turn things around fast.

Panic meter: The Buccaneers' next three opponents are the Vikings, Packers and Cowboys and it might be bad for Bowles to lose all three. Or maybe even two.

When a head coach fires both coordinators, there's only one more move to make if things don't turn around.

Quinn parted ways with his offensive and defensive coordinators after going 5-12 last season. The Commanders had a tough early-season schedule, starting with divisional road games against the Eagles and Cowboys. Washington went 0-2, and had a competitive loss at Philadelphia , but it's impossible to feel positive after Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow again .

Daniels injured the elbow on the final play of the first half, and he's seeing specialists before the Commanders announce a timetable for his return. If Daniels misses a month or more, what will the Commanders' record look like when he's back? And will he have a different head coach if it gets really bad?

Panic meter: Quinn might not be in immediate danger, but the seat could get hotter if Daniels misses time and the losses pile up.

Being 0-2 is bad. Being 0-2, with losses to the Cardinals and Raiders, when your next seven opponents are the Bills, Seahawks , Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens? That could be a death sentence for the Chargers' season.

The Chargers are off to a miserable start. Everything has been bad to open the season. They've lost as a big favorite twice at home and there are no positives on either side of the ball. This is really bad. It might be impossible to turn this around before it's too late.

Panic meter: An 0-9 start isn't likely, but it's not impossible either.

In the first 90 seconds of Sunday's game, receiver Jayden Reed was carted off with a back injury and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele left on the cart with a knee injury. Reed should miss time and Bako-Bewele might miss the rest of the season. It's not like the Packers' offense was in good shape before that.

The offensive line is as shaky as any in the NFL at this point. It was so thin Sunday the Packers almost had to use tight end Tucker Kraft at tackle . The line can't protect Jordan Love , who had just 145 yards passing vs. the Jets .

The running game is a mess without Josh Jacobs . MarShawn Lloyd has seemingly botched his opportunity; he was essentially benched after six carries and a fumble on Sunday. Kaleb Johnson got some extra carries, but he's far from a sure thing after the Steelers gave up on him just one year after making him a third-round draft pick.

The Packers rallied to avoid an 0-2 start. And a Thursday night game against the Falcons could be a get-right spot. But it's worrisome in Green Bay right now.

Panic meter: Getting higher and will be a five-alarm fire if they lose to the Falcons.

Mike Vrabel was just annoyed at a question after a win, but his answer to a postgame question about Maye's lackluster performance on Sunday was fairly telling.

"You're not going to ruin my Sunday, but I'll come back to you tomorrow," Vrabel said. "Thanks, bud."

Imagine Vrabel saying last season that his Sunday would have been ruined by having to talk about Maye.

Maye's slump that goes back to last postseason has been an ongoing topic, and it didn't get cured against the Steelers. Maye had 208 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The Patriots scored just one offensive touchdown in a 20-3 win.

Maye is off to a slow start this season, as is New England 's offense. It won't be easy to break out with A.J. Brown out for a while either. But it's also not like Maye's near-MVP season didn't happen. He's a good quarterback, albeit an inexperienced one that is having to make some adjustments.

Panic meter: No reason to give up on Maye yet, but it would be nice to see a big game soon.