This Sunday night, we will get to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play in primetime for the first time this year. Their opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, have witnessed a lot of change since the schedule came out in April. The biggest change of all, was when quarterback Andrew Luck retired. The news broke just two weeks before the regular season. Thankfully for the Indianapolis Colts, Jacoby Brissett has been a fine replacement. He also has a nice, young crop of talent around him.
This Colts team is also used to being led by second guessed men. For example, head coach Frank Reich has a proven track record when needing to rally troops to victory. He has done that as both a player and a coach. Now, he’s looking to continue building an encouraging young core that does a lot of things well. Let’s get to know the Chiefs opponent for this week. From behind enemy lines, here is our look at the Indianapolis Colts.
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Throwback Football
The Colts are not playing the same style of offense that the Chiefs are used to using. This team Indianapolis loves to run the ball. In fact, Indianapolis players were wearing “Run the Damn Ball” hats in the locker room earlier in the year: https://twitter.com/LockedOnColts/status/1132475360640212992
Where this team seems to excel when running is on stretch runs. Going to the outside, and forcing teams to run sideline to sideline has worked well. Indianapolis is currently 7th in the NFL in rushing yards per game. The Colts love Marlon Mack, in addition to their other two younger backs in Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. Furthermore, the Colts have built a nasty offensive line up front to make this work. For the Chiefs defense, we know they have struggled against the run too. They will have to step up and make stops, while Indianapolis hopes to succeed and milk the clock.
Injuries Galore
Heading into Sunday, the Colts have been ravaged by injuries. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton missed last week’s game with a quad injury. During his absence, the Colts struggled in a loss to the Raiders. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Marlon Mack was unable to finish last week’s game with a bum ankle.
While those ailments hurt the offense, the Indianapolis Colts have devastated more by defensive injuries. The biggest one is safety Malik Hooker. Hooker has grown into a ballhawk and a leader on the backend. Indianapolis already runs plenty of zone coverage, and it won’t help that Clayton Geathers, Tyquan Lewis and Darius Leonard are banged up as well. Going up against the Chiefs offense, the Colts must hope for near perfect results.
It’s Anybody’s Game
Due to retirements, injuries and close losses the AFC South has a cloudy picture as we move throughout the rest of the season. All four teams are now 2-2 entering this week. According to NFL research, this is the first time since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger that every team in a division has been 2-2 through Week Four. The Colts may have some liabilities that will hold them back. However, the fact that this division’s output is so unpredictable week to week means the Indianapolis Colts may be in it until the end. It helps the Colts, because of the style they play. Now, they’re hoping to spoil the Chiefs on Sunday night.
That will wrap up our view of the Indianapolis Colts from behind enemy lines. For now, be sure to stay tuned to Full Press Coverage for more great sports and NFL content.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
