The Colts' tumult continued on Sunday, surfacing as Indianapolis fell to the Titans, 26-20.

The result proved damaging to the already-fraught status of long-time general manager Chris Ballard. The 57-year-old was sacked early Monday morning, spelling an end to a 10-year run that started with promise but ended in infamy.

He's not the only official within the Colts' ranks that could end up with a pink slip, either.

With that, here's how Ballard's dismissal could impact Indianapolis and its seemingly floundering head coach, the oft-discussed Shane Steichen.

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What Chris Ballard firing means for Shane Steichen's future with Colts

Ballard's dismissal leaves Steichen with nowhere to hide. The duo were put on notice regarding the fractious nature of their job status at the end of the 2025 season. After masquerading as Super Bowl contenders in the first half of the year, the Colts fell apart, tumbling to an 8-9 finish.

Ballard and Steichen had a compelling argument to keep their positions. Indianapolis' collapse coincided with Daniel Jones' season-ending Achilles injury. Carlie Irsay-Gordon, the team's co-owner and CEO, bet on the Colts' first-half results being indicative of the team's quality when healthy.

Six weeks into the 2026 season, that view looks fanciful, at best. Indianapolis' offense has looked wayward, with Jones producing just four touchdowns to six interceptions. Injuries to Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren haven't helped matters. But Jones' displays have no been befitting of his $44 million AAV price tag.

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Things aren't much better on the other side of the ball. Ballard's front office invested heavily in defense over the past year, dealing a first-round and second-round pick to land two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner and signing Arden Key and Michael Clemons in free-agency. Returns have not been promising; Indianapolis ranks 27th in points against, conceding more than 27 points per contest.

A 26-20 loss to the previously winless Titans proved to be the death knell for Ballard. The Colts raced out to a 13-point lead in the game's early moments, only to 20 unanswered points en route to defeat. With Steichen hinting at benching Jones in Sunday's postgame presser, the signs are there that he's running out of answers.

"Our standard is to compete for championships," Irsay-Gordon wrote in a statement released after Ballard's sacking on Monday, per ESPN. "I believe a change in leadership is necessary to meet that standard."

Ballard was the first domino to fall in her pursuit of that accomplishment. Barring an unlikely turnaround in the coming few weeks, Steichen very well could follow him.

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