Analyzing Colts biggest threats in the AFC: Kansas City Chiefs

Strengths

By now, we all know that the Chiefs’ biggest strength is at quarterback. Mahomes is inarguably the best quarterback in the game, a playmaker that can win games all by himself, and the perfect fit for Andy Reid’s offense.

The Chiefs lost to the Bucs in the Super Bowl mainly because of a depleted offensive line, and they made sure that would not happen again this season, signing guards Joe Thuney and Kyle Long, trading for Orlando Brown from the Ravens, drafting Creed Humphrey, and also the return of Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff, and Lucas Niang (one of our favourite tackle prospects here at SB). The Chiefs offensive line now looks absolutely stacked, with a couple of depth players that would be starters on other teams.

Mahomes’ weapons will also be back with the team, as Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce. and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are all still with the team. Simply put, Kansas City has by far the best offense in the game, and could very well break the scoring record. As if that were not enough, the Chiefs also have one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL in Harrison Butker.

The Chiefs’ defense is not nearly as dominant as their offense, but they still have some playmakers that can frustrate opposing offenses, like Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu, Frank Clark, and Chris Jones. Head coach Andy Reid has done a masterful job putting together this team, with no apparent weaknesses to exploit.

Weaknesses

As mentioned above, unlike all the other teams in the AFC, the Chiefs’ do not have a glaring weakness that opponents could take advantage of... I mean their punter is sort of inconsistent but if your only weakness is your punter then you have a really good football team. Besides, not like the Chiefs punt the ball a lot.

The blueprint for trying to beat the Chiefs was set by Reich and Eberflus in the 2019 season, where a stifling Colts’ defense managed to contain Mahomes for less than 20 points, and the offense did just enough to escape Arrowhead Stadium with a win. The plan is to keep the ball away from Mahomes’ hands, allowing the defense to be very well rested throughout the game, while also pounding the ball on the ground.

Still, it seems like the only thing that can derail the Chiefs from a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance is injuries. Other than that, the Chiefs just have an absurd amount of talent and are led by elite coaching.

How they match up with the Colts

I believe this Colts’ team could actually present some trouble to the Chiefs, but in the end, there are far too many questions. Right now, the Colts right don’t look like serious contenders in the AFC. If the interior defensive line can replicate last year’s performance and edge players like Kemoko Turay, Ben Banogu, and Kwity Paye play up to expectations, then the Colts front 7 could create some problems for Patrick Mahomes and company. In the end, though, I do not believe this team is ready to take on the Chiefs yet.