As the Colts come to town, Chiefs fans are a mess of excitement and fear. Can the Chiefs advance to the AFC title game and break the curse? We discuss.
Any fan of the Kansas City Chiefs knows that incredible disappointment in the playoffs has plagued the team for decades. With disappointing losses year after year, there is a lot to be nervous about; However, Patrick Mahomes ushers in a new era of Chiefs playoff football that we have yet to see and that is incredibly exciting.
If you need any more reason to be nervous, the Colts have been the team to defeat the Chiefs the most in home playoff games. In fact, they have more wins in Arrowhead Stadium than the Chiefs in the playoffs.
While I am a nervous wreck, I know that the Chiefs can win this football game for a number of great reasons. Here is how the Chiefs can advance to the AFC Championship.
Offensively:
Attack Zone Coverage with the deep ball
This is no secret. The Colts run a ton of Cover 2 and zone coverages. This is an advantage for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs as he has been the highest rated quarterback against zone coverages this season per Pro Football Focus. The purpose of these zone coverages is to keep everything in front of them. With both of Indy’s starting safeties potentially out of this game, I believe that Mahomes will test the backup safeties early and often.
On this play, Deshaun Watson has a deep shot and if not for the pass being a little bit underthrown and the receiver dropping the pass, this could have changed the game completely. The safety in coverage looks vulnerable against speed and that is exactly what the Chiefs have at receiver.
Take what the Colts give underneath
As aforementioned, the Colts like to take away the deep stuff. This means that they will have space underneath and in the flats. This is going to come down to how good the Chiefs are at making defenders miss. Regarded by many to have some of the best offensive playmakers in the NFL, the Chiefs will need to show some electricity. If the Chiefs can get some tough first downs by making defenders miss, I like their chances.
In what ended as a shutout for the Colts, the Cowboys executed a very few good offensive plays. On this play, Dak Prescott finds Ezekiel Elliot on a delayed pass to the flats. Elliot makes a huge play and wills himself to a first down and fights for extra yards. Kansas City will need to make these kinds of plays throughout the game.
Use misdirection
The Colts thrive on defense by running a simple system and doing it effectively. One way to attack this and throw Indy off of its game is to throw in some misdirection. If the Chiefs can prevent the Colts from getting comfortable in their scheme, they can really gain some quick yardage and make some huge plays.
On this play, the Giants give a quick hand-off on an end around. Now, they are limited to a moderate gain; However, if this Tyreek Hill, I believe it goes for 15 to 20 years. The Chiefs would be wise to run some of these plays to keep a simplistic and young defense guessing. The Chiefs have the speed to win on the outside.