It’s time for the Arrowhead Pride staff to put their opinions to the test. Before the Kansas City Chiefs host the Indianapolis Colts for “Sunday Night Football” in Week 2, our writers predicted the final score and result.
The Chiefs enter the AFC showdown as 6.5-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook. This line obviously reflects the Chiefs’ overachieving expectations in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos while the Colts lost in a blowout to the Baltimore Ravens.
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Jared Sapp (@TrumanChief)
I caution against Week 1 overreactions as the Chiefs are probably not as great as they looked on Monday and hte Colts will have better days than they did on Sunday. The Chiefs will also have to answer a remaining unknown in their run defense as the Colts will not abandon the ground game as early as Denver did.
That said, there is no reason to pick Indianapolis to win this one. The Chiefs may run the ball quite as effectively, but Kenneth Walker will continue to be productive. I think the passing attack will be somewhat more potent, and I see a comfortable Chiefs win.
Chiefs 27, Colts 13
Caleb James (@CJScoobs)
These teams each had results on the opposite end of the spectrum for their season openers. While the Chiefs dismantled the Broncos, the Colts were blown out at home by the Baltimore Ravens.
They had no answers for the Ravens run game or passing attack, and only managed to muster points when the game was out of hand.
The Chiefs need to enter this game and start fast. Last week they picked off Box Nix on the games third play, and proceeded to score on their first drive. Shutting down Jonathan Taylor early will be key, and forcing Daniel Jones to beat them with his arm. If the Chiefs offense can resemble their week one performance it will be a long day for the Colts.
Chiefs 30, Colts 14
Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels)
I think the Chiefs beat the Colts because this offense finally has the balance it’s been missing. Kenneth Walker is coming off 173 rushing yards, and now Indy has to worry about stopping him while still dealing with Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. I also trust this young Chiefs defense to contain Jonathan Taylor and put the game on Daniel Jones’ shoulders. At Arrowhead, in primetime, I think KC is simply the more complete team.
Chiefs 31, Colts 17
Maurice Elston (@MrMauriceElston)
The Chiefs made a statement last week with a 31-10 win over Denver, powered by Kenneth Walker’s 173 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Colts struggled defensively against Baltimore, allowing big performances from Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers. I expect Indianapolis to be better this week — but they won’t be good enough to slow down Kansas City.
In Patrick Mahomes’ second game back, look for him to settle in, get the wide receivers more involved and take advantage of a Colts secondary that isn’t as strong as Denver’s. I don’t expect another 30-point performance, but I do expect another convincing Chiefs win.
Chiefs 24, Colts 14
Matt Stagner (@stagdsp)
All signs point to the Chiefs being able to dominate the Colts on the ground. They have the NFLs leading rusher, and a makeshift set of tackles. It’d be logical to stick with the multiple heavy sets that worked against Denver. The Colts got run over in week one, and the Chiefs receivers have as many questions as the pass protection. For those reasons, I expect the Chiefs to try and throw the ball all over the field Sunday night. Spagnuolo’s defense is plenty to keep the game comfortable, we’ll see if Mahomes is able to spark the offense.
Chiefs 35, Colts 19
Dakota Watson (@D_Watson56)
After the dominating win against Denver, I love how the schedule lines up for the Chiefs up to the bye week. Next up is the Colts, who were absolutely shredded by Derrick Henry in week 1. I look for Kenneth Walker to continue his strong start to the season against this Colts’ defense. I also expect Mahomes to get more comfortable as he gets more reps in his return from injury. Chiefs cruise to a 2-0 start.
Chiefs 28, Colts 17
Rocky Magana (@RockyMagana)
Kenneth Walker showed why he is one of the best running backs in the NFL last week against the Broncos. The Colts’ defense got beat to a pulp by Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry in Week 1. Don’t think for a second that EB and Andy Reid’s ears didn’t prick up when they saw Indianapolis’ Week 1 tape. Expect Andy to feed Kenny the rock another 30 times this week. Unlike the Denver Broncos, the Colts’ pass defense is not elite, so expect a few plays to open up downfield in the passing game as well.
The Chiefs won’t beat a dead horse on Sunday night; they are going to beat another team of horses to death. The Chiefs finish off Week 2 with the new moniker of Colt Killers.
Chiefs 28, Colts 10
Nate Christensen
The Colts looked like a total mess in Week 1 vs the Baltimore Ravens, particularly on defense. They looked disorganized, slow in the back 7, and unable to create any pressure. Baltimore dominated them with the run and pass game. They looked like a team that is going to have a disaster season.
I think the Chiefs continue to run the ball well and get pressure on Daniel Jones, who looked limited mobility-wise after his Achilles injury. The passing game will look smoother against a much worse secondary. Expecting a big Chiefs win.
Chiefs 30, Colts 13
Ron Kopp Jr. (@RonOnChiefs)
I’ve been anticipating a hot start to the season all offseason, and the biggest obstacle was the Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Now that the Chiefs are 1-0, I fully expect them to be undefeated at the bye week (Week 5).
I see this game following a similar script as the Chiefs’ first game: efficient run game, steady defense and enough explosive plays on offense to win by two scores. This time, I’m anticipating the explosive plays to come through the air.
Chiefs 27, Colts 13
2026 Standings
The AP panel widely predicted a closer game in Week 1 than the eventual 31-10 Kansas City victory. Six staffers did correctly predict the Chiefs would win, but Matt Stagner’s 27-17 projection was the most accurate with 22 points of error. This writer, as well as Dakota Watson and Nate Christensen, begin with the 0-1 shame of having picked against the Chiefs.
Unfortunately, Matt’s score did not make it in time for publication. Here is his fairly accurate Week 1 prediction presented for you, our readers.
I’m so ready to have real Chiefs football to talk about, I’m over the speculation and Predictions, and optimism. It’s go time. Chiefs will show off their new pass rush and run game. The passing game and special teams will have ups and downs, but Mahomes will be Mahomes. Broncos are almost as overrated as their QB.
Chiefs 27, Broncos 17
*To calculate a prediction’s points of error, the differences between the prediction and the actual score in point spread, home team score and away team score are added together. For example, a prediction calls for a 17-10 Chiefs win. They end up winning 16-10, so there were two points of error: the point spread was off by one point, the Kansas City score missed by one point and the opponent’s score was predicted correctly. But if the Chiefs lose the game 17-10, there were 28 points of error in the prediction: the point spread was off by 14 (the difference between +7 and -7) and both scores missed by 7.
