Colts’ Shane Steichen Reveals Unusual Post-London Plan

The Indianapolis Colts escaped London, England with a convincing 30-13 victory. The Washington Commanders were no match for Shane Steichen's seemingly prepared group. Following the matchup, both teams will turn around right away to play in Week 5. The NFL gives franchises options to select a bye after a game overseas, but neither did in this case. For the Colts, traveling to play a 2-2 Pittsburgh Steelers group will be a hostile challenge.

One interesting tidbit to mention is that Pittsburgh will be coming off of a Thursday Night Football showdown against the Cleveland Browns. This leads to quite a bit of rest while Indianapolis is in the opposite corner.

All good coaches have a plan when it comes to being strategic with schedules. A 17-game season can really be strenuous on the players' bodies and minds. This is why Steichen came up with a unique plan. He wanted to combat some of these challenges.

Colts Were Mindful Of Interesting Travel Disadvantage

Not only did Indianapolis have to travel back from London; but, the organization won't even have a home contest upon returning. Steichen spoke with the media on Wednesday and gave an in-depth look at the approach he and his staff took.

"We looked into that, sports performance stuff. Obviously, we want to make sure our guys are fresh going into this game," Steichen said. "[The Steelers] had 10 days, we'll have six. We gave them some good rest Monday, Tuesday and then obviously adjusting some of the practice stuff to make sure we're fresh and ready to go for Sunday."

There came a time when the Colts had to decide if rest or early preparation was more important heading into the Steelers game. Clearly, Steichen wanted the locker room to take a couple of days off to freshen up.

It would be understandable to call this disadvantage unfair. Pittsburgh will be rested up. However, Indianapolis could have easily decided to take a bye in Week 5. Now, the matchup will show if that would have been the right decision or not.

Indianapolis Looking To Get To Above .500

After an 0-2 start, there were some murmurings about things going south for the Colts. Since then, the collective has reeled the season back in. It would be a big result if a win against the Steelers ends up happening. Not only would it be an AFC victory, but Steichen and Co. would improve to 3-2.

One other key fact to mention here is that the NFL didn't do the Colts any favors. Their bye isn't until the first week in December. Even if things go right in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis isn't going to get much time off for a couple of months.