Learn more about the Indianapolis Colts' Week 2 opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, coming off a commanding win over a reigning playoff team.
The Indianapolis Colts (0-1) visit the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) this weekend for Sunday Night Football, airing live on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET.
The Colts look to rebound from an embarrassing home loss to the Baltimore Ravens, in which they lost control early and could never keep up. The Chiefs, meanwhile, looked like they found their groove after missing the playoffs last year, posting a dominant win over the reigning AFC West champion Denver Broncos.
This week, ColtsRoundtable and Stephen Mottram of ChiefsRoundtable swapped questions to learn more about each side entering Sunday night's matchup.
Here are the questions ColtsRoundtable had about the Chiefs:
Jake Arthur: The Chiefs had a great plan of attack last week, accounting for Khalil Benson's start at left tackle by getting rid of the ball quicker than any other team in the league. Do you anticipate that being their MO until Josh Simmons returns, or have they given any indication they'll loosen the reins a bit?
Stephen Mottram: I do believe that Simmons’ absence was partially the reason that the Chiefs’ game plan revolved around getting rid of the ball quicker, but it may also be in an effort to avoid Patrick Mahomes holding onto the football for too long and getting injured. He’s one of the most mobile QBs in NFL history, but after tearing his ACL and LCL, I think Kansas City wants the ball out of his hands and less scrambling from the 31-year-old.
JA: It appears pass-catchers may still be an area of need for the Chiefs' offense. Did last week feel like it was more about Patrick Mahomes knocking off rust, or do they need more at receiver?
SM: Last week, to me, actually felt like the Chiefs wanted to see how their new toy, running back Kenneth Walker III, could fit into a game plan. The Chiefs, however, do still lack a solid receiving corps – no getting around that. Perhaps now that the rust has been knocked off in Week 1, we could see wide receiver Rashee Rice getting more targets, because just two in last week’s win was still way too little.
JA: When you see national coverage of the Chiefs, what's the most common misconception you see?
SM: The “bounceback” season for Mahomes and Co. has been swirling since the end of last season, but no one acknowledges the issues with the Chiefs last season. The 6-11 season was largely due to Mahomes having no real deep threats and a virtually non-existent backfield. Kansas City still doesn’t have a fantastic group of receivers, but Walker’s presence has clearly been prevalent already. Last year the team wasn’t just bad; they were set up to fail. The front office essentially threw out Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce and called it an offense.
JA: Who's a player or two who are highly important to what the Chiefs want to do, but fly under the radar?
SM: Rookie running back Emmett Johnson got outshone by Walker, but he held his own out there and provided a solid option for the offense when Walker wasn’t on the field. He racked up 24 rushing yards on eight carries and 44 receiving yards on two targets, proving to be a viable option when Walker isn’t on the field.
JA: When you compare the Colts and Chiefs, is there any area where you give the Colts an advantage?
SM: Despite a fantastic Week 1 from the Chiefs, the Colts still have the edge at running back with Jonathan Taylor. He’s arguably top-2 at the position across the league and will likely be a problem for the Chiefs’ run defense.
