Ten Days Out, a Look at the Colts, while the Chiefs Get Some Direly Needed Rest

Ten Days Out, a Look at the Colts, while the Chiefs Get Some Direly Needed Rest

David Bell

The Chiefs got through week two and have a 2-0 record. That is fortunate. The first game saw the team firing on all cylinders on offense and defense. Four days later, things weren’t as pretty. Even what should be considered an “ugly” win is still a mark tallied in the win column. If the offense was out of sync, the defense kept the Chiefs close, and Patrick Mahomes finessed a win against an outstanding Los Angeles Chargers team. It was a tough five day for K.C. and L.A., but the Chiefs came out on top, thank heavens.

A Look at The Indianapolis Colts

The Colts suffered through an OT “Kiss Your Sister” tie with the team from the Houston Quagmire — The Texans. How embarrassing for GM Chris Ballard’s team. Ballard was formerly the Director of Player Personnel and then Football Operations for the Chiefs, and we cheered him as he moved up to the GM role with Indy. Although I have a ton of respect for the man, this week, I’m sure K.C. fans will forget any preceding love for Ballard as the Chiefs work to get their third victory in a row.

When I watched the game between the Colts and Texans, I thought Indy was playing out of sync and out of cohesive action. The Texans, led by QB Davis Mills, opened the game well, looked solid, and didn’t make errors. He was in command of the team and the effort throughout the game, which says a lot about the direction HC Lovey Smith took with Mills. Smith cast his lot with Mills, which likely means that his job is a bet that Davis Mills will succeed, that is, if Lovey is to have longevity with the Texans. Still, the Texans could not pull off the win. That also says something about Houston’s finest. The game went to OT and played to a game-ending tie.

In week one, I don’t think the Colts, Matt Ryan, earned his stripes as a franchise QB. He was 32-50, for 352 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. There is no controversy in 2022 about who the starting QB is. You might recall that in 2020 there was confusion about Jacoby Brissett. Backing up Ryan is Nick Foles this year, who has played for several teams and won a Superbowl with the Eagles. The Texans also carry a third QB, newcomer Sam Ehlinger. I remember friends in the Philly area moaning about circumstance, and I told them they would win the big game with Foles, and they did.

This Sunday vs the Jags, the Colts are favored -3 on the road, but have injury woes that are extremely concerning. They have ruled linebacker Shaquille Leonard and two of their starting wide receivers, Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman, as being OUT. As a result, Ryan will be without two top receivers, and Leonard’s import to the defense will be a painful loss. All three players are essential starters for the Colts.

The team is also concerned about two other players returning to their capability: DT Forest Buckner and CB Kenny Moore II. Like the Chiefs in week two, the Colts must turn to their depth players to step in and step up. I think you will see the Colts as a post-season team, but they have to live up to the billing if they are going to get there.

After the JAX game, the Colts face the Chiefs in week three. Over at ColtsWire.com at USA Today Sports, there is worry that the Duval County (in Jacksonville) jinx will arise again.

The Colts were a superior team to the Texans but struggled for most of the game. I don’t think we will see that version of the Colts in week three. If Houston is a Quagmire, Indianapolis had previously been mired in a potential Franchise QB swamp. Then Ballard cut the deal that brought Matt Ryan into the fold, the Colts new franchise QB. I am not sure that starters, Buckner and Moore, are fully ready to roll, but they should be by week three. Incidentally, the Colts have not won a game in Duval County, Florida, since 2014. After their game two… we’ll see how their injury list looks.

Stability at the Top

The Colts have a very capable HC in Frank Reich, but they had a significant turnover with the coaching staff, hiring eight new assistants. Bottom line? The Colts are struggling, but that should settle out a bit in their week two game vs. the Jaguars, though close observers are clearly worried.

As for the Chiefs

The title is apropos. The Chiefs have a much-needed ten days of recuperating from the injuries, bangs, and bruises. They came away from Thursday’s game in good shape, with no serious injuries, although they had four players listed. Mike Danna suffered a calf injury, Justin Watson injured his shoulder on the on-side kick recovery attempt, and Mecole Hardman sustained an ankle injury. All three were listed on the Friday Report as “Questionable.” Hardman suffered the ankle injury, but returned to the game taped and had a reception. With ten days to recover, I am pretty sure that Hardman and Watson will be ready to roll. PK Harrison Butker, who turned his ankle in week one, should also be prepared to play. The only player who might be genuinely questionable for week three is Mike Danna because I don’t know the severity of his calf injury.

I am pretty sure of the other three. Trent McDuffie’s anticipated return is shown as week six. It sounds like the Chiefs are being cautious and want to give Trent time in practice before returning to games. His return could be before week six, however, Carlos Broughton and Derrick Gore are listed as questionable for week three.

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My outlook for week three’s projection is very good. The Chiefs will be favored on the road, and rightly so. They are not facing a team with the stature of the Chargers, but I expect a challenging game nonetheless. The Chiefs should win the game with the offense once again exerting its multi-tool prowess, and they should score in the 35-point range.

From what we have seen from the Chiefs defense, I am confident that they will play well. Chris Jones is coming off one of the best games he has ever played. Jaylen Watson fully demonstrated that the speed of the NFL Game is not a problem and made the play that gave the Chiefs a lead that appeared invulnerable. Thus far, the defense has excelled at times and proven to be an implacable foe to opposing offenses. With such a young crew, I am optimistic that we will see a continuation of this elevating level of play in week three. What is being proven on the defensive side of the ball is that the decisions to go with rookies were the right one. Again: There are going to be hiccups. Andy Reid noted that in a presser before the week one game. However, those glitches will recede as each week’s play provides the NFL game experience. By week 10, the rookies won’t be rookies any longer.

The youth movement on defense doesn’t mean just rookies, either. Willie Gay is leading among defenders for tackles in a game. Despite misses, he had 11 tackles vs. the Chargers. In his second year, Nick Bolton had 10 tackles in the game (20 for two games now). Our LBs are playing well. Both had PDs.

There is a good article on the young, New-Look Defense written by Mark Van Sickle for Si.com called, “Chiefs’ Defense Is Ahead of Schedule Through Two Games” and Van Sickle says:

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“The Chiefs are off to a 2-0 start and the defense seems to be ahead of schedule. That’s all you can hope for from this young group of players as it continues to jell on and off the field…. There’s still plenty of room for improvement — and there will be struggles with this young core of defensive players — but the early results are promising. If the defensive unit continues to get better as the season moves along, the Chiefs will be right in the mix for another AFC Championship win and, hopefully, another Super Bowl bid.”

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Again, I want to observe that I worry about our starting ROT. It’s not that I think Andrew Wylie is a lousy player. I judge him to be a depth player, not a starter. He is not a player of the ability and stature of his four mates along the offensive line. Wylie struggled mightily in the first quarter vs the Chargers… and then he settled in. Facing teams with that good of a defensive front is not something the Chiefs will need to confront every week. The Chargers added depth to the defensive front to counter the Chiefs aerial game. Still, I really wonder how soon it might be that Lucas Niang can return.

Oh, I am Confident About the Victory on Sunday Because… We Have Patrick Mahomes II

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Watch the side-arm TD pass to Jerick McKinnon, but also watch what McKinnon does to get open at the point of the catch to make it happen. It’s great stuff!

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If I must make a prediction? Chiefs by 15, 36-21. I am ready to rock!

Go Chiefs!

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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