Shane Steichen: I have faith Gus Bradley can get defense turned around

The Colts defense gave up nearly 500 yards to the Jaguars in Sunday’s 37-34 loss and the performance wasn’t an outlier from what they’ve done in earlier games this season.

It was the third time in five weeks that the team gave up more than 400 yards and they currently rank last in the league in that metric. They are also 25th in points allowed and they’re around the bottom in a number of other categories as well.

When a unit performs like that, it’s no surprise that questions about the future of the coach in charge of it. On Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said the team is giving up too many “explosive plays” but that he still believes defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is the right guy to right the ship.

“Gus has been doing this for a long time and he’s had incredible defenses where he’s been,” Steichen said, via the team’s website. “And I got the faith and trust in him to get this thing turned around.”

The Colts had similar issues under Bradley during the 2023 season and the longer things continue down the same path, the harder it will be to believe that the right pieces are in place for success in Indianapolis.