Hey Kansas City, the Indianapolis Colts are Coming

The Indianapolis Colts travel to icy Kansas City, Missouri to take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium Saturday at 4:35 PM ET.

Sure, the Kansas City Chiefs have the incumbent NFL MVP in quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Sure, the Chiefs have the fastest man in the world in wide receiver Tyreek Hill. And sure, they may sport the best tight end in the NFL in Travis Kelce. But the Indianapolis Colts don’t care.

The Colts don’t have the superstar celebrity names the Chiefs do, and it really does not matter to them. Have you ever heard of Denico Autry if you’re not a Colts fan? Probably not. Outside of T.Y. Hilton, can anyone really name an Indianapolis Colts receiver? Not likely. And who is Marlon Mack? These are all a group of nobodies who are here to end the Kansas City Chiefs fairytale.

Your defense is among the worst in the NFL, Kansas City. The Colts will take advantage of that; I guarantee it. And don’t get comfortable if you come out with a big lead on the Colts, because does anybody remember the last time the Chiefs built a big lead on Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts? I’ll give you a little reminder. This Colts team started out the regular season 1-5. They know what it is like to be down, to be counted out, and to revive. Remember when the Houston Texans went two months without losing? Yeah, the Colts shut them down in their own house last Saturday. Kansas City, you may think you have a pretty good offense, but the Colts defense is very ready.

The Indianapolis Colts defense is the most underrated unit in football. Darius Leonard is the rookie of the year. (Leighton Vander who?) Malik Hooker is beginning to look like a superstar. Pierre Desir, a Seattle throwaway, is playing CB1 at a high level and shut down DeAndre Hopkins last week. The pass rush is getting home on a weekly basis, and that is what you should be afraid of, Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes is insane. He’s unreal. He’s the best quarterback in the NFL. But why?

His ability to extend plays, throw at weird angles, and fling footballs seventy yards in the air is why he is so magical. However, there is an easy way to stop that. Collapse the pocket and keep contain. If Mahomes has nowhere to go, he can’t extend a play. It is not a challenging concept to understand. However, if the Colts do rush six every down, then that leaves a lot of man coverage and opportunities for Mahomes to beat you with the quick, short passes. I would prefer to allow Mahomes to check down to four or five yard gains every passing down than have time in the backfield to make the huge play he is famous for making. Make Mahomes be Tom Brady. Allow the short, underneath throws before you allow him to connect with Tyreek Hill for 75 yards.

Kansas City, if the Colts get home on their pass rushes, then Patrick Mahomes may have a long day ahead of him. According to ESPN, Mahomes takes just under three seconds on average to release the ball. This Colts defense will not give him that much time, and Matt Eberflus will make sure to send a blitz his way on many pass downs.

This game will definitely be close. I don’t see either team winning by a large margin. It may come down to which coach brings the better scheme. Unfortunately for Chiefs faithful, head coach Andy Reid is known to flounder in the playoffs. And the Colts are under leadership of the man who could get it done in the playoffs in his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The fact of the matter is when it comes down to it, give me Andrew Luck magic over Patrick Mahomes magic every time. Give me the Colts defense over the Chiefs defense every time. Give me Frank Reich over Andy Reid every time. Give me a group of nobodies over the famous trio. Give me the Indianapolis Colts over the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28 in the divisional round playoff game Saturday evening.

And give me 1-0.