JohnnyU
Footballguy
My thoughts on this game and I promise I won't bring up #74 for the Chiefs in the discussion.
The Chiefs have their backs against the wall much like the Steelers did and you see what a cornered animal looks like in that situation. The Colts have shown chinks in the armor against sacks and committing turnovers the last couple of weeks, but the Chiefs haven't exactly looked good rushing the passer. Something has to give here.
The Colts will have Charvarius Ward back from a concussion and newly acquired Sauce Gardner has had two weeks (including the bye) to aclimate more to this defense. I think having him pair with Ward, Kenny Moore, and Bynum, gives the Colts more options on defense. What the Colts defense must do is not play with a bend but don't break mentality, because Mahomes will make them pay dearly for that. The Colts rank near the bottom of the league in defending the TE, so I expect a healthy dose of Travis Kelce. I would love to see the Colts' Gardner and Ward lock down their WRs as much as possible. You won't stop them, but you sure can make things harder on Mahomes. Another thing the Colts have to do is not allow Mahomes to scramble for big yardarge when the play breaks down, or is a designed RPO.
The Chiefs, just like always, abandon the run. They run mostly RPO for their run game and seldom set up a hard run. Reid all but admitted he calls a lot of runs, but because of the RPO, Mahomes changes to a pass almost all the time. Was he throwing Mahomes under the bus? Probably not, but it makes you wonder. I believe without Buckner the Colts are vulnerable to the run, but will the Chiefs go against what they do most of the time in order to exploit it? I'd be willing to bet they do a little bit, but like always, will abandon it. If the Chiefs can change things up a little bit by running more I think they have a great chance to win the game. I do think they can limit Jonathan Taylor somewhat and if they can bring enough pressure on Daniel Jones, who has struggled against pressure the last couple of weeks, that gives the Chiefs a huge advantage to win the game.
The Colts are great with play action and use the pass on early downs to set up the run, or use the pass for the lead, then use the run to win. The Chiefs are one of worst teams in the NFL against play action.
Final verdict: I expect the Chiefs to bring their A game, but Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has had two weeks to prepare for the Chiefs and has a history of success against the Chiefs when he was with the Bengals. The Chiefs have their backs against the wall and will come out like gangbusters, so if the Colts play like they have the last two weeks, they will get beat. I expect a close game under 7 points. I won't pick a winner however, because to be honest, I have no idea who will win this game.
The Chiefs have their backs against the wall much like the Steelers did and you see what a cornered animal looks like in that situation. The Colts have shown chinks in the armor against sacks and committing turnovers the last couple of weeks, but the Chiefs haven't exactly looked good rushing the passer. Something has to give here.
The Colts will have Charvarius Ward back from a concussion and newly acquired Sauce Gardner has had two weeks (including the bye) to aclimate more to this defense. I think having him pair with Ward, Kenny Moore, and Bynum, gives the Colts more options on defense. What the Colts defense must do is not play with a bend but don't break mentality, because Mahomes will make them pay dearly for that. The Colts rank near the bottom of the league in defending the TE, so I expect a healthy dose of Travis Kelce. I would love to see the Colts' Gardner and Ward lock down their WRs as much as possible. You won't stop them, but you sure can make things harder on Mahomes. Another thing the Colts have to do is not allow Mahomes to scramble for big yardarge when the play breaks down, or is a designed RPO.
The Chiefs, just like always, abandon the run. They run mostly RPO for their run game and seldom set up a hard run. Reid all but admitted he calls a lot of runs, but because of the RPO, Mahomes changes to a pass almost all the time. Was he throwing Mahomes under the bus? Probably not, but it makes you wonder. I believe without Buckner the Colts are vulnerable to the run, but will the Chiefs go against what they do most of the time in order to exploit it? I'd be willing to bet they do a little bit, but like always, will abandon it. If the Chiefs can change things up a little bit by running more I think they have a great chance to win the game. I do think they can limit Jonathan Taylor somewhat and if they can bring enough pressure on Daniel Jones, who has struggled against pressure the last couple of weeks, that gives the Chiefs a huge advantage to win the game.
The Colts are great with play action and use the pass on early downs to set up the run, or use the pass for the lead, then use the run to win. The Chiefs are one of worst teams in the NFL against play action.
Final verdict: I expect the Chiefs to bring their A game, but Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has had two weeks to prepare for the Chiefs and has a history of success against the Chiefs when he was with the Bengals. The Chiefs have their backs against the wall and will come out like gangbusters, so if the Colts play like they have the last two weeks, they will get beat. I expect a close game under 7 points. I won't pick a winner however, because to be honest, I have no idea who will win this game.
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