On Sunday, for the first time since becoming the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Shane Steichen squared off with the Los Angeles Chargers, with whom he spent nine seasons as an assistant in various roles, last serving as the team's offensive coordinator in 2020 before opting to leave to take the same job with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Steichen admitted to being a little emotional coming into this contest, but the only emotion Chargers fans saw from him on Sunday was pure intensity, as the Colts, who've been one of the biggest surprises of this 2025 campaign, steamrolled the Bolts en route to an easy 38-24 victory, thus becoming the first team in the NFL to reach six wins.
Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert, of course, was in his first professional season in Steichen's final year with the franchise and obviously benefitted from his guidance and tutelage, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year after posting 4,336 passing yards, 36 total touchdowns (31 passing, five rushing), and just 10 interceptions.
Herbert had nothing but great things to say about Steichen leading into Sunday's game, and he continued to show a lot of love for his former OC in his postgame press conference.
"I think he's an incredible coach" Herbert said. "I loved playing for him, and I'm not surprised at all the success he's had."
Well, if that isn't rubbing salt in a fresh wound.
Justin Herbert heaps praise on Shane Steichen after Chargers' loss
Okay, so that's obviously a little harsh, as all Herbert was doing was showing respect to a coach who absolutely deserves it. But some Chargers fans simply didn't want to hear how great Steichen has been so quickly after such a disappointing defeat, so Herbert praising him just struck a nerve with some.
There are still plenty out there who are still bummed that he left Los Angeles for Philly a few years back, and some have even gone as far as to say that they wish Steichen was the Chargers' head coach right now and not Jim Harbaugh. That's not an overly popular opinion, but it's undoubtedly out there. And that group may have gotten a little bigger on Sunday after Steichen's Indy offense blistered a Bolts defense that had no answers whatsoever.
The Chargers allowed a season-high 401 yards in the loss while also surrendering a season-high five touchdowns, two through the air from the arm of a resurgent Daniel Jones and three to superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, who continues to lead the league in both rushing yardage (697) and rushing scores (10).
"I’ve got a lot of great memories here,” Steichen said afterward. “This one, for me, was emotional a little bit, just because I have so much respect for the Chargers organization, from the top down to all those players."
If the Chargers, who have now dropped three of their last four, can right the ship, perhaps they can get a little revenge on Steichen in the postseason. For now, however, they'll have to quickly put this loss behind them, as they've got a short turnaround before kicking off the Week 8 slate on Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings.