The Indianapolis Colts (0-1-1) are searching for their first win of the season when they host the Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) for the Week 3 home opener at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Before the daunting matchup arrives, we caught up with Chiefs Wire managing editor Charles Goldman, who gave us the scoop on the leaders of the AFC West.
Here are five questions with Chiefs Wire ahead of the Week 3 matchup:
1
What aspects of Patrick Mahomes’ game do you look for in order for him to continue reaching new heights?
Charles Goldman: “It’s hard to really imagine Mahomes reaching new heights, but I think you’re seeing a bit of evolution in his game already this season. H e’s working on being more patient and not forcing the ball downfield like he did at times early last season. He’s working on his footwork and mechanics, which sometimes break down because of his insanely impressive arm strength. Then, from there, it’s really just about building up the chemistry with his new group of receivers.”
2
Losing Tyreek Hill was huge. How have the Chiefs replaced him?
Charles Goldman: “Simply put, there is no replacing Tyreek Hill. Without him, the Chiefs have lost some of the instant-strike capability they had on offense. They’re having to focus more on the tried-and-true method of a balanced offense and matriculating the ball down the field. They’ve managed to get deeper across the board at the receiver position and they’re spreading the ball around frequently with 10 players targeted in each of the past two weeks. I don’t think you’re going to see any one player replace Hill, it’s going to be a group effort all around.”
3
The Chiefs defense doesn’t get as much love as maybe it should. Who are some underrated pieces of that unit?
Charles Goldman: “Well, one of those players just got suspended for four games. In fact, the Chiefs are likely missing three starters on defense heading into this game: Willie Gay Jr., Trent McDuffie and Mike Danna. Both Gay and Danna would probably fall under that underrated category. I’d say that not enough people know about Nick Bolton, the second-year linebacker out of Mizzou. He’s the MIKE linebacker and his job will be to make Jonathan Taylor’s day a nightmare in Week 3. You’ll probably see four rookies in the lineup this week in CB Jaylen Watson, LB Leo Chenal, DE George Karlaftis and S Bryan Cook. Watson is getting a lot of press after winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Chenal and Karlaftis have more impactful games this week.”
4
What needs to happen for KC to return to the Super Bowl?
Charles Goldman: “Honestly, right now, it feels like Week 6’s game against the Bills is going to be really, really important toward those Super Bowl goals. The AFC West doesn’t seem quite as competitive as many thought it would be and a lot of people seem to view the Bills and Chiefs as the top teams in the AFC conference. If Kansas City can defeat Buffalo in Week 6, it’ll give them a great shot at home-field advantage during the playoffs.”
5
Final score and prediction for the game?
Charles Goldman: “I do think the Colts will be better in some regards than they were in Weeks 1 and 2, but I keep coming back to Gus Bradley’s defense. The Chiefs absolutely torched him with the Raiders last year, with 82 points on offense through two games. I just get the sense that if he doesn’t make some serious scheme adjustments, this game will look like a cigarette boat racing a tugboat. Chiefs 41, Colts 24“
