KC Chiefs: Getting to know Indianapolis Colts before Week 5
By Cullen Jekel

Sunday evening, the KC Chiefs, 4-0, welcome to Arrowhead the Indianapolis Colts, 2-2. It’s time to get to know the enemy for week five!
The Kansas City Chiefs, coming off a thrilling victory over the Detroit Lions, look to begin the season with five straight wins for the third consecutive season while the Colts look to rebound from a home loss against the Oakland Raiders to keep pace in the hectic AFC South.
With the Chiefs hosting the Colts–a team whose general manager, Chris Ballard, came from the Chiefs organization; a team that employs long-time Kansas City pass-rusher Justin Houston; and a team that witnessed its franchise quarterback retire right before the season–I reached out to FanSided’s site dedicated to the Colts, Horseshoe Heroes, and briefly chatted with Ryan Stano, that site’s expert.
Here’s my conversation with Ryan about the very intriguing Colts.
Jekel: Coming off the loss to the Raiders, how’s this team’s mentality?
Stano: The team still has the same mentality. All of their goals are still right in front of them, and they learned a valuable lesson overlooking the Raiders in preparation for this game. They should be more mentally focused and disciplined for Sunday Night Football.
Jekel: Marlon Mack’s been the Colts’ workhorse through four weeks. If he’s out Sunday, who replaces him?
Stano: If Mack is out, and I would bet on him being out there, then it falls to Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines. Hines is more of a scat back and the typical third-down back. Wilkins has more power and would likely get the start if Mack doesn’t play.
Jekel: Whose potential absence hurts the Colts more: Mack’s, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton’s, or linebacker Darius Leonard’s? Why?
Stano: Having Darius Leonard out again would be a crippling blow. This defense has struggled mightily through the first four games. Leonard has only played in two of them, and had a good game in one of them. The Colts need him out there to mitigate the struggles up the middle. If he doesn’t play, things could get very ugly very quickly in this one.
Jekel: Indianapolis ranks 13th in the league against the pass, allowing only 230.5 yards per game. What’s the key to keeping that going against the Chiefs?
Stano: That pass stat is a little misleading. The Colts did have to face [Tennessee Titans starting quarterback] Marcus Mariota, who isn’t exactly the best passer in the world. But the key to keeping that going is having the pass rush re-emerge. They had [eight] sacks through the first two games, and have only had two combined in the last two. Pass rush will be a big key in this one.
Jekel: After badly struggling the first two weeks of the season, [46-year-old] kicker Adam Vinatieri has gone 6/6 on field goals and 3/4 on extra points. Have his woes passed?
Stano: The jury is still out on Vinny. He missed a 57-yarder last week, which no one can fault him for since it would have tied for his career-long. But he seems to have his confidence back, which counts for something. His woes started in the playoff game against Kansas City last year, so we’ll see how he does in his return trip.
Jekel: Where’s your confidence with quarterback Jacoby Brissett? And following up, is he the guy to lead this team beyond 2019?
Brissett and the boys. 💪 pic.twitter.com/5AkcZZYPFy
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 26, 2019
Stano: Brissett is the real deal. He has shown that he can lead this team this season and beyond. He has been killed with injuries to his receiving corp, so he hasn’t gotten to put up great numbers yet. But they also don’t need him to. As long as he keeps his turnovers at bay, which he has mostly done, he is doing his job.
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Jekel: I’m honestly curious, with Chris Ballard having been in Kansas City before leaving for for Indianapolis. What’s the dynamic between him and owner Jim Irsay?
Stano: Ballard and Irsay work great together. Irsay lets his GM’s due their thing. Having been a GM in the past, he knows what it can be like if someone is looking over your shoulder. He’ll offer his opinion if Ballard seeks it, but he won’t take over. He knows he has a star in Ballard and it would be foolish to get in his way.
Jekel: Finally, how do you see things shaking out Sunday?
Stano: Unfortunately, I don’t see it ending well for the Colts. The injuries are just too much. Even if Hilton and Leonard play, I’m not sure this team has itself figured out enough to win. The offensive line has been wildly inconsistent in run blocking, and got manhandled last week against an inferior defensive line. The defense as a whole has been garbage with no signs of slowing down. It could get ugly. Chiefs win 38-17.
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Next. Kansas City Chiefs: First Quarter Report Card for 2019. dark
Thanks again to Ryan for taking the time to chat with me. If you guys want more info on the Colts before the game, definitely head over to Horseshoe Heroes. Great content over there on this team battling the Texans, Titans, and Jaguars for the AFC South crown.