Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 7 things every fan should know
The Kansas City Chiefs schedule continues on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. What should fans know going into the contest?
Wow, what a crazy game this past Sunday between the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs and the technically undefeated Detroit Lions. A lot was made of the fact that the Chiefs offense was rolling and that Patrick Mahomes would be playing his first ever NFL regular season game in a dome, but unfortunately the game played out differently than most people saw coming.
From the outset, it appeared the Chiefs offense was struggling—not across the board, mind you. They actually had quite a bit of success early in drives, but they struggled once they reached the red zone.
I think most people, including FOX’s national analysts, expected the Chiefs to come out in the second half well-adjusted enough to light up the Lions defense. Unfortunately, any brilliant halftime adjustments didn’t get the opportunity to surface. The Chiefs fumbled three times in the third quarter and could never generate any momentum.
Finally, the defense was atrocious. This was actually far more concerning than anything the offense did. The offense is bound to have a bad game or two and they still put up 27 offensive points in the midst of it all. The defense, however, seems like they have nothing but off days.
Against what most would consider a league average running back, the Chiefs run defense surrendered nearly five yards a carry. I’m starting to come around to the idea that if a move before the deadline is to be made, there’s a chance a more impactful one would be for a linebacker versus a cornerback.
All that said, the Chiefs won an ugly game. That’s typically a major character trait of a championship team. In spite of so many things working against them, they pulled a win from the jaws of defeat. This Sunday they return home to Arrowhead Stadium to face a good Indianapolis Colts team that will be hungry coming off a disappointing loss. What are the major storylines to know headed into this Sunday’s prime time contest?
Jacoby Brissett has been better than expected
Likely the most shocking story line from this past offseason was the retirement of 29-year old Pro Bowl signal caller Andrew Luck. Luck was just coming off an incredible 2018 campaign where he only trailed the Chiefs own Patrick Mahomes in terms of prolific quarterback play. He was so good that he won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after returning from a fairly devastating shoulder injury.
The retirement was a surreal moment, and it left Colts fans and fans of football in general wanting more. Personally, I hate the Colts. As a Chiefs fan we’ve suffered at their hands many times. Yet, for several reasons even I was a bit saddened to see him go. Not least of which was the fact it was the game I picked early to attend, hoping to see a clash of two quarterback titans in the temperate fall weather of October in Kansas City. Alas, it was not to be.
In Luck’s place stands Jacoby Brissett. As most know by now, Brissett is a former third-round pick by the New England Patriots and was very well liked by Bill Belichick. Even so, he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. The impetus for the trade was the aforementioned injury to Andrew Luck, and while the Colts did not win a lot of games that year Brissett performed admirably.
In 2019, he has done more of the same. The Colts started the season very strong winning two of their first three games and narrowly losing to a pundit favorite in the Los Angeles Chargers. Surprisingly, they lost to the Oakland Raiders but the fact still stands that Brissett is having a nice year and will challenge the Chiefs defense.
Through the first four games Brissett is completing 65 percent of his passes for 911 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s no Andrew Luck, as few in the NFL possess that type of talent, but he’s done the job well enough that the two year, $30 million extension he signed this offseason might actually end up being a bargain for the team.