4 keys to a Chiefs victory over the Colts in Week 2

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a hot start to the season. After a big Week 1 win on Monday against the Broncos, the Chiefs hope to carry that success into the rest of the 2026 season. Kansas City now has a short week as it awaits the Colts for a Sunday night game to keep the team rolling and maintain a 2-0 start to the season.

In my Week 1 predictions, the Chiefs staff and I seemed to be on the same page, as many of my keys to the game came to fruition. The Chiefs leaned heavily on their ground game, and throughout this week, the coaching staff has given no indication that this will change. So what are some keys for the Chiefs to carry their success into Week 2 against the Colts?

Take an early deep shot off play action

The Chiefs ran the ball exceptionally well in their Week 1 game against the Broncos, and there is no doubt the Colts will face a healthy dose of the run game this weekend. The Colts' defense may be weakest in the secondary, and with a lot of two-high coverage, the Chiefs will want to take advantage of defenders creeping into the box.

Last season, the Colts brought in a new defensive coordinator from the Bengals, Lou Anarumo. Historically, Anarumo has had some success (as much as there is) containing the Chiefs' dynamic offense of the last several years. But he has never faced Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid with a running game as good as the one they'll have this Sunday. The Chiefs will have a chance to take advantage of some aggressive play calls to stop that run by burning the Colts over the top.

Keep the tight ends involved early

Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving yards on Monday, largely thanks to his big 59-yard catch late in the game. But the tight ends as a whole didn't get a major share of the Chiefs' targets, and Kansas City will want to change that this week. The Colts have a great cornerback room with Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward, but the Colts' LBs and safeties have struggled in coverage. The Chiefs will want to lean into their heavy, multiple-TE personnel and grow the pass game behind their run-game success from last week.

Contain Jonathan Taylor, and load the box (stay in man coverage)

The Colts' offense runs through Jonathan Taylor, and the Chiefs need to do whatever they can to contain the Colts' run game on Sunday. Taylor went for just under 100 yards last week but also added two touchdowns, and with Daniel Jones coming off a major injury, Taylor's success is key to Indianapolis' success. The Chiefs' front seven will be essential, and run-lane discipline will be necessary to hold down the Colts' offense.

On the back end, the Chiefs have one of the best man-coverage units in football. Rookie Mansoor Delane is expected to play, and the Chiefs' DBs looked great even after losing him against Denver. Steve Spagnuolo should not be afraid to load the box in the base package or to sneak L'Jarius Sneed/Alohi Gilman closer to the LOS.

Send DB blitzers

Daniel Jones has historically struggled against the blitz, and the Chiefs should be more than willing to send extra blitzers at Jones from the secondary. L'Jarius Sneed has always been a great blitzer from the slot, and Nohl Williams also opened the game against the Broncos with a sack last week. Especially with Jones coming off a major Achilles injury, the Chiefs should show Jones a lot of different looks and send blitzes to keep him uncomfortable in the pass game.

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