Chiefs-Colts Preview: Sunday Night Football

This week, the Kansas City Chiefs welcome in the Indianapolis Colts for Sunday Night Football. It is the first time this season where Kansas City will play on primetime. Despite a sloppy game last week, the Chiefs are looking to improve to 5-0 with a victory over the Colts. Meanwhile, the Colts are coming off an unfulfilled loss to the Raiders. Indianapolis currently sits at 2-2, which is the same record as everyone else in their AFC South division. Let’s get things going now, with this preview of Chiefs versus Colts.

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Start Fast

Last season, the Chiefs were accustomed to starting with a bang. They were near the top in first quarter and first half scoring in 2018. However this season, the Chiefs have only scored 17 first quarter points. Additionally, opponents have outscored Kansas City 26-0 in the first quarter in the last three weeks.

On the other hand, the Colts have outscored opponents 24-21 in the first quarter this season. They have been a Jekyll and Hyde team each week to begin games, and are tough to beware of how they will try to attack. Both teams may be looking for a better jumpstart on Sunday night. For Kansas City, they must answer the bell and feed off the energy of Arrowhead Stadium.

Playing Keep Away

One big reason why the Lions were successful last week, was the way in which they controlled the ball. Churning out blow after blow by running the ball, then taking deep shots in high percentage matchups made things look easy for the Lions offense. In the end, Detroit possessed the ball for nearly 34 minutes. The Colts can play a similar style too.

Indianapolis is relentless in wanting to pound the rock. It’s not that Jacoby Brissett can’t make the throws. But, Brissett’s game managing style of being safe fits in well with this offensive style. Injuries for the Colts at wide receiver also could increase the rushing attempts in this contest. The Chiefs need to watch for stretch runs from the Colts, as well as the nastiness of the Indianapolis offensive line.

Any Way Possible

Last week, Kansas City showed they can get it done with different results. The passing game was off in communication and big plays. But, it was the running game who shined and continued to produce positive results. So far, the Chiefs have not had to worried about certain injuries keeping players out. LeSean McCoy has been a perfect fit with the offense, and is a good compliment to Damien Williams. Williams is expected to return this week.

Then, the receivers have stepped up in a large way, as Tyreek Hill remains out. Guys like Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman have made very few mistakes. Even Byron Pringle came through with an ultra-important catch last week. Hill (clavicle) did practice this week, though he was never really going to play this week. The thing Kansas City has going for them, is it doesn’t matter who has the game of their life. Just as long as they get the job done as a team, the stats aren’t important. The Chiefs hope to keep that mojo rolling against the Colts.

Matchup To Watch: Chiefs Receivers vs Colts Secondary

The Colts defense has been minimized by injuries. This is especially true in the secondary. The absence of Malik Hooker has been felt hard on the backend. His leadership and ballhawk ability was a big part of the Colts success the first couple of weeks. Now their other safety, Clayton Geathers, is also out with a concussion. How about standout linebacker Darius Leonard? He is also out for this game with an injury. Indianapolis has drafted well and brought in some fine players, but the inexperience is not going to help against an offense like Kansas City’s. The Chiefs receivers speed and route running provide a large mismatch for this Colts defense, who primarily runs zone coverage.

Statistical Notes

The Colts were unable to convert on third down in last year’s playoff meeting against the Chiefs. Entering Sunday though, both teams are sitting in the top five in third down conversion rate.

The offensive line has done their job mostly well. Patrick Mahomes currently has the lowest sack rate in the NFL at 7%.

The Chiefs offense are averaging 8.59 yard per play on first down. That is the best mark in the league. Meanwhile, the Colts defense is allowing 6.71 yards on first down. That is 29th in the NFL.

As the Chiefs and Colts will be doing the battle, Kansas City’s head coach Andy Reid will be looking for his 200th career regular season win on Sunday.

That will wrap up our preview for Chiefs versus Colts. 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.