Here’s the early buzz from around the nation about the Chiefs-Colts playoff game
There is a scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indiana Jones looks into a pit and someone notes the floor is moving.
That’s because it’s full of Indy’s least-favorite things, and he says, “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?”
It’s likely some Chiefs fans had the same thought about the Colts when they advanced to face the Chiefs in Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Colts are 4-0 all-time in the playoffs against the Chiefs. Can Patrick Mahomes help break that curse?
We’ll find out in a matter of days, but for now, here is the early chatter from NFL experts about the game:
Mark Maske of the Washington Post wrote an analysis piece with the headline, “Andrew Luck and the Colts matter again, and they present a real threat to the Chiefs.”
This is an excerpt of what Maske wrote: “Welcome back to the big time, Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. Their return to leaguewide relevance accelerated even further Saturday when they went to Houston and beat the Texans handily, 21-7, in a first-round AFC playoff game. The sixth-seeded Colts advanced to a conference semifinal next Saturday in Kansas City against the top-seeded Chiefs.
“And the Chiefs had better beware. The Colts, winners of 10 of their last 11 games, are a dangerous opponent, even for a Chiefs team that features the likely league MVP in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and is set to play at home at raucous Arrowhead Stadium. That’s how well the Colts are playing these days.”
Shannon Sharpe, speaking on the NFL Network, wondered if the Chiefs would be able to slow the Colts’ rushing attack:
Kyle Brandt of the NFL Network said Monday there is a 100 percent chance the Colts defeat the Chiefs on Saturday:
ESPN’s Mike Wells wrote a story with the headline, “Andrew Luck, red-hot Colts dispatch Texans, set sights on Chiefs.”
Here is part of what he wrote: “Now Luck is about to face one of only two quarterbacks talked about more than him this season: Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. The Colts will travel to play Kansas City in the divisional round next Saturday. ...
“The Chiefs are the top seed in the AFC, but the Colts are the hotter team and the one with the potential to end what’s been a possible MVP season for Mahomes, who is in his first season as a starter. Indianapolis has won 10 of 11 after starting the season 1-5 to become one of the most talked-about teams in the NFL.
“The Colts need their offense to keep rolling in order to hang with a Chiefs offense that averaged an NFL-high 35.3 points a game and had five games of at least 40 points during the regular season. The Colts were fifth in the league in scoring at 27.1 points a game. Mahomes (50) and Luck (39) combined for 89 TD passes this season — the most in any QB matchup in postseason history according to Elias Sports Bureau.”
Mike Jones of USA Today wrote a story with the headline: ”Bring on the Chiefs: Colts drum Texans in wild-card rout.”
Here is an excerpt: “Luck will get a chance to engage in a shootout with the second-year pro (Mahomes). But it’s the Colts’ defense that actually will be responsible for holding Mahomes in check. Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ defense will have a lot of pressure on them as well. This season they ranked 31st in the league, surrendering an average of 421 yards a game, and 24 in points (26.3 per contest). But Indianapolis ranks 10th in points allowed (21.5) and 11th in yards (339.4).
NBC analyst Tony Dungy tweeted that expects a close game:
This story was originally published January 7, 2019 at 11:48 AM.
