3 Reasons The Indianapolis Colts Can Beat The Kansas City Chiefs In 2019 NFL Divisional Playoffs

The Indianapolis Colts will have to go on the road and beat the AFC’s top team in order to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. After defeating the Houston Texans on Wild-Card Weekend, Indianapolis is set to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 NFL Divisional Playoffs.

Kansas City posted the NFL’s No.1 ranked offense and the conference’s best record in the regular season behind the MVP favorite at quarterback. Indianapolis has gone 10-1 after starting the season with a 1-5 record.

The Colts have already pulled off one upset on the road this postseason, and they’ve got a real chance to topple a second straight favorite.

Here are three reasons why the Colts can beat the Chiefs Saturday afternoon:

Indianapolis’ offensive line

Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid told the media the Colts arguably have the best offensive line in football, and he might be right. Indianapolis has done an incredible job of protecting Andrew Luck during their hot streak, surrendering no sacks in seven of their last 11 games. If the quarterback stays clean throughout Saturday’s game, Indianapolis will have a great chance to win.

Kansas City had one of the worst defenses in the regular season, ranking 31st in yards allowed and 24th in both scoring defense and opponents’ yards per play. The one thing the Chiefs can do is get to the quarterback, and they were tied for the league lead with 52 sacks. Luck has been sacked more than once in a game just two times since October. Continuing that trend would likely mean a big offensive day for Indianapolis’ fifth-ranked scoring offense against a defense that ranks 31st against the pass and surrenders 5.0 yards per carry.

An improving Colts’ defense

No longer are the Colts a one-dimensional team that relies on a top offense and their quarterback to win games. Indianapolis’ defense has morphed into one of the league’s best. It’s hard to believe that the Colts can actually contain Patrick Mahomes for too long, but getting even a couple of big stops might be enough for Indianapolis to win at Arrowhead Stadium.

Deshaun Watson led Houston to just seven points at home in the wild-card game. It marked the sixth time in the last 11 games that the Colts have given up no more than 10 points to the opposing offense. Even in their one loss since Week 6, Indianapolis didn’t give up a single touchdown. Despite surrendering 37 points or more in three of the first five weeks, the Colts finished the season 10th in scoring defense and 11th in both total yards allowed and opponents’ yards per play.

Kansas City’s playoff history

With a quarterback that threw 50 touchdown passes and the NFL’s top offense, this may very well be a much better Chiefs’ team than the ones that have come up short in recent postseasons. Still, it’s hard to ignore what Reid and Kansas City have done in the playoffs.

With four postseason appearances since Reid was hired in 2013, the Chiefs have just one playoff victory. Kansas City has been defeated at home in their first playoff game in consecutive years, losing as favorites to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017 and the Tennessee Titans in 2018. Reid’s infamous clock management burned the Chiefs in 2016 and 2017, and it was only a few weeks ago that Kansas City blew a two-touchdown lead against the Los Angeles Chargers in the final few minutes. Luck threw for 443 yards when the Chiefs blew a 28-point, second-half lead against the Colts in the 2014 wild-card round.