Week 2 Preview: Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 1 Recap: Chiefs Rolled, Colts Got Run Over
Kansas City 31, Denver 10
The biggest story of the Chiefs’ win was the debut of newly acquired running back Kenneth Walker III, who racked up 173 yards on the ground at 7.5 yards per carry, including a 60-yard touchdown run and a power-through score on 4th-and-1. As a team, Kansas City converted 9 of 17 third-down opportunities, scored on 3 of 5 red-zone trips, and finished with nearly 400 total yards.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes accounted for 4 total touchdowns — 2 on the ground (his first rushing score was wiped out by a penalty, but he punched in another from farther out) and 2 through the air. He also threw an interception and was sacked twice while playing behind a backup left tackle. Tight end Travis Kelce led the passing game with 71 yards, including a 59-yard catch, while wide receiver Rashee Rice scored a touchdown but finished with just 19 total receiving yards.
On defense, Kansas City held Denver to only 10 points and 176 total yards, stopping the Broncos on 10 of their 12 third-down tries. The Chiefs also recovered a fumble forced by defensive lineman Chris Jones, and rookie cornerback Mansour Delane picked off a Bo Nix pass for his first career interception — though Delane left the game afterward with a shoulder injury.
Baltimore 41, Indianapolis 23
It was not a great opening night for the Colts. Indianapolis’ defense surrendered more than 500 total yards. Running back Derrick Henry ran for 144 yards and a touchdown for the Baltimore Ravens, while quarterback Lamar Jackson added 324 passing yards and a rushing touchdown of his own. Wide receiver Zay Flowers piled up 150 receiving yards against the Colts secondary, though he didn’t play the entire game. The lone bright spot on defense was Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, who forced and recovered a Jackson fumble off a blitz. Offensively, Indianapolis leaned on Jonathan Taylor, who ran for 98 yards on 19 carries and scored twice. But the Colts averaged under 5 yards per play as a team and converted just 3 of 10 third downs, with quarterback Daniel Jones under pressure on more than half his dropbacks and sacked twice. Tackles Bernard Reiman (23% pressure rate allowed) and Jaylon Travis (17%) had rough nights in pass protection. Alec Pierce (61 yards) led Colts receivers, followed by Josh Downs (37), Keenan Allen (32), and Parris Campbell (13, with a touchdown).
What It Means for Tonight
On paper, this is a tough matchup for Indianapolis. A Colts run defense that just gave up 144 yards and a touchdown to Derrick Henry now faces a Chiefs back who ran for 173 yards in his debut, and a Colts offensive line that allowed pressure on more than half its dropbacks now faces a Kansas City defense that just stifled Denver and forced multiple turnovers.
Indianapolis does have a path back: its pass rush forced a turnover off Lamar Jackson in Week 1 while blitzing 41% of the time, and could find similar success against Mahomes, who threw an interception of his own last week. Jonathan Taylor, coming off a 98-yard, two-touchdown performance, will need to carry the offense again if the Colts want their first win of the season.
A Little History
The Chiefs host the Colts at Arrowhead Stadium tonight in what’s always an intense meeting between two storied franchises. Indianapolis traveled to Kansas City in a 1995 AFC Divisional playoff game and stunned the No. 1 seed, 10-7. Chiefs kicker Lin Elliott had a chance to tie it late with a 43-yard field goal attempt, but the kick sailed wide left, and the Colts escaped with the road upset.
Bottom Line
The Colts take on the Chiefs tonight at Arrowhead Stadium, with kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Kansas City is favored by 6.5 points, with an over/under of 46.5. The Chiefs look like the more efficient team coming out of Week 1 across the board. Indianapolis can keep this one competitive if Jonathan Taylor produces another big night on the ground and the offense finds answers up front and in the secondary.
Game Info
- Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. ET / 7:20 p.m. CT
- TV: NBC (Mike Tirico play-by-play, Cris Collinsworth analyst, Melissa Stark sideline)
- Streaming: Peacock, NFL+, Fubo (regional restrictions apply)
- Radio: 96.5 The Fan (KFNZ-FM)
- Line: Chiefs favored by 6.5, over/under 46.5
- Win probability: Chiefs 71.5%, Colts 28.5%
Full halftime and postgame coverage to follow once the game gets underway.
