Chiefs win over Colts turns all expectations upside-down

Absolutely nothing went as expected for either team in the Kansas City Chiefs win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday afternoon.

It’s not that no one expected the Kansas City Chiefs to win. It’s that no one expected the Chiefs to defeat the Indianapolis the way that they did.

Coming into Saturday’s Divisional Round showdown between the Chiefs and the visiting Colts, the oft-quoted storylines read a certain way on both offense, defense, and special teams. Then once the clock started and the actual game began to unfold, it was clear that everything was going to be a bit backward in this odd (yet incredible) home win for the Chiefs.

Let’s take a closer look at the expectations that were completely upended in the Chiefs 31-13 win over the Colts.

Passing TDs?

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Patrick Mahomes joined an elite club with 50 passing touchdowns during the regular season, a total that will likely earn him the Most Valuable Player Award when the dust settles on the year. Somehow on Saturday, Mahomes failed to throw a single touchdown for four quarters.

If he knew coming into the game that the Colts would hold Mahomes without a single touchdown pass, Frank Reich would have wet his pants. Instead, the Chiefs had no problem at all scoring. They just happened to do so on the ground to the tune of four rushing scores, one by Mahomes himself in an impressive dive at the pylon.

A Disciplined Team?

Coming into the game, the Chiefs were the most penalized team in the National Football League and it wasn’t even that close. The Chiefs averaged 8.6 penalties per game in 2018, almost one full penalty more than second place (Denver Broncos) at 7.8 per game. All season long, the Chiefs have looked undisciplined on both sides of the ball, with numerous frustrating penalties coming at the worst times.

On Saturday, it was the Colts who were giving up one timely penalty after another as Patrick Mahomes was catching the Colts coming across the line again and again early in the game. The results were good for the Chiefs offense and these sorts of gaffes killed the Colts from the beginning. The Chiefs committed a handful of frustrating penalties, but they finished with six for the game and showed they can play strong mentally for four quarters.

Getting after Luck

Coming into the game, the Colts were giving up only one sack per game (1.1 to be exact), a total that was the best in the National Football League. The Colts line was remade this past offseason and celebrated all week as the league’s best—a showdown between the Chiefs pass rush that led the league in sacks versus a titan line that protects Andrew Luck at all costs.

From the beginning, Luck had issues with clogged passing lanes and collapsing pockets. The Chiefs finished with three sacks and five quarterback hits, but there were also several more forced throws, tipped passes at the line and more. It was a great day for the Chiefs pass rush and the line, in general, played an outstanding game.

Not-so-special Teams

It’s hard to believe that the only points scored by the Indianapolis Colts through the first three quarters of the game came on a special teams gaffe. Dave Toub’s units are typically impervious to making silly mistakes, but the Colts got the momentum shift they needed—or so they thought—thanks to a silly assignment error on a Dustin Colquitt punt that was blocked and recovered for a touchdown.

The look on Toub’s face told the story. He was not only rightfully mad but he also had to be a bit perplexed as to how a S/T unit normally lauded as the league’s best could be so careless with so much on the line. Somehow it didn’t matter in the end.

Third Down Shutout

Through the regular season, the Chiefs ranked among the worst quarter of teams in the NFL by allowing over 41% of all third downs to be converted for a first down. Chiefs fans have seen it time after time, as opponents have moved the chains at will with sloppy tackling, poor angles, or seeing players out of position.

On Saturday, all of that changed. The Colts were a shocking 0-for-9 on third downs, as in the Chiefs allowed zero third downs to be converted for a first down. The Colts could never get any real momentum going on offense until it no longer counted—a beautiful game plan mixed with perfect execution. A serious hat tip goes to Bob Sutton and his players for their performance on Saturday.

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