Kansas City Chiefs: No reason to worry about Colts
By Mike Norris
This game — this team — is different than the others.
Mahomes is a playmaker, difference maker, leader, stud, no-look passer, freak athlete and much more. He was in high school the last time the Chiefs lost to the Colts in the playoffs, and he’s most likely not losing sleep over playing the Colts defense. That happens when you are the leader of a team to score at least 26 points in every game this season.
However, as many of you will likely point out, Mahomes could be staying up late wondering if his defense will hold enough to ensure a victory even if the Chiefs put up 35-40 points.
And that’s fair. Only eight teams allowed more points than the 421 given up by the Chiefs. And guess what? Those teams, San Francisco, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Oakland, Cincinnati, New York Jets and Miami all not only failed to make the playoffs, but couldn’t even win eight games.
On the flip side, the Colts the 21.5 points per game allowed was the most by any AFC playoff team. Yes, they’ve shored up their defense some during their hot streak, but in three games against AFC playoff teams (New England and Houston twice) they are 1-2 and allowing 32 points per contest.
This is not a team to be afraid of. Quarterback Andrew Luck is the hands-down Comeback Player of the Year after completing a career-high 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns. He is a Pro Bowler in every sense of the word, but right now, this season, Mahomes is the best quarterback in the world.
The pressure of a grueling regular season have not gotten to him. He sat behind Alex Smith last year and learned from one of the smartest men in the game. He’s become the first Texas Tech quarterback in recent memory to pile up stats in college and then translate that to the NFL. He also grew up in MLB clubhouses with his father playing 11 years in the majors. The spotlight is not new to him, and the playoffs should feel like just another game.
Yet, from a fan standpoint, Arrowhead may be different. There is no reason to think this crowd won’t be anything short of insane considering there has never been an AFC Championship game in the stadium, and a win will end that streak. It’s already the loudest outdoor stadium in the world, and it might just get louder Saturday.