In Week 2 of 2026 our Indianapolis Colts will hit the road to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Knowing the party was headed to KC, I sat down with Maurice Elston of Arrowhead Pride, SB Nation’s Chiefs blog. You can find him on Twitter @MrMauriceElston. We swapped questions and answers about both the Chiefs and Colts and what follows is what I’ve learned about this week’s opponent.
You can find my answers to his questions here.
Chris Shepherd: Based on Week 1, if you were an offensive coordinator tasked
with creating a game plan to attack the Chiefs’ defense, what would your plan look like? What areas of the field would you attack, what weaknesses would you target and how would you try to beat this Chiefs defense?
Maurice Elston: I would do anything possible to force Kansas City’s linebackers—primarily Nick Bolton—to cover in space or match up one-on-one. Bolton is an excellent run defender and the commander of the Chiefs’ defense, but operating in coverage over a large area is not his greatest strength.
I would attack the middle of the field with tight ends and running backs, using motion and different formations to create favorable matchups against the linebackers. The Colts have a tight end in Tyler Warren who is capable of presenting that type of problem. Getting Warren matched against Bolton or another linebacker in space could give Indianapolis an opportunity to consistently move the football.
Chris Shepherd: In Week 1, Colts fans watched in horror as the Ravens moved Zay Flowers all over the field to exploit favorable matchups that the discombobulated Colts secondary never figured out how to adjust to. Do you think the Chiefs will try to exploit those same issues, and if so, who will Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy slot into the Zay Flowers role for Kansas City?
Maurice Elston: I don’t believe the Chiefs will copy Baltimore’s strategy exactly because Kansas City doesn’t have to lean on one receiver the way the Ravens leaned on Flowers. I absolutely expect Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy to test the same communication problems Indianapolis experienced in Week 1, but they will likely do it with several different players.
The Chiefs can use motion, shifts and formations to create favorable matchups for Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce and Kenneth Walker III. Instead of putting one player in the Flowers role, Kansas City can force the Colts to identify and communicate against multiple threats before the snap. That unpredictability could make the assignment even more difficult for Indianapolis’ secondary.
Chris Shepherd: In Week 1, Patrick Mahomes made his return after recovering from last season’s torn ACL. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 184 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Did Mahomes look like the Patrick of old? Was he still the player who can take over games, or will he need some time to regain that form?
Maurice Elston: I wouldn’t say Mahomes completely looked like his old self, but he did look healthy—and that was the most important thing Kansas City needed to see.
Mahomes demonstrated that his knee is fine, he can still scramble and he remains capable of making plays outside the pocket. From a passing standpoint, however, there was some understandable rust. He opened the game completing only two of his first 12 attempts and missed a few routine throws that we normally see him make.
He eventually settled down and completed 13 of his final 15 attempts, including two touchdown passes. Because he couldn’t participate in his normal offseason routine and did not play during the preseason, some early rust should have been expected. He may not be completely back to his old form yet, but the second half showed that he is getting there.
Chris Shepherd: Can you give me one player on offense and one on defense whom Colts fans might not be familiar with but who you expect to make an impact Sunday night?
Maurice Elston: Offensively, I would watch rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen. He became one of the Chiefs’ most talked-about young players during training camp and the preseason. Allen received only one target and did not record a catch in Week 1, but I expect Kansas City to begin incorporating him into the offense.
In my opinion, Allen may already be the best pure route runner in the Chiefs’ wide receiver room. His ability to separate could become especially valuable against the man-to-man coverage Kansas City’s receivers have consistently faced.
Defensively, I’ll go with L’Jarius Sneed. It may seem strange to call Sneed an under-the-radar player considering what he has accomplished, but much of the attention surrounding Kansas City’s secondary has focused on young outside cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams.
Sneed’s return to the slot gives Steve Spagnuolo a trusted defender who can cover, blitz and handle several different assignments. Having someone Spagnuolo trusts to lock down the slot changes what the Chiefs can do schematically, making Sneed an important piece of this defense even if he isn’t receiving the most attention.
Chris Shepherd: How do you predict this game will play out? What does each team do well, where will they struggle and what is the final score?
Maurice Elston: I expect the Chiefs to win, although I don’t anticipate the margin being as large as it was against Denver.
Indianapolis’ best path to keeping the game close is through Jonathan Taylor and Tyler Warren. The Colts must remain committed to Taylor, stay ahead of the chains and use Warren to attack Kansas City’s linebackers and safeties in coverage. There is no completely stopping Taylor because he is too talented, but if the Chiefs can contain him enough to force Indianapolis into third-and-long situations, Kansas City’s pass rush and pressure packages can take control.
For the Colts defensively, the challenge will be handling Kansas City’s motion, personnel groupings and improved running game without experiencing the communication breakdowns that hurt them against Baltimore. If those problems continue, Reid and Bieniemy will find ways to exploit them.
I believe Indianapolis keeps the game competitive for a while, but Kansas City eventually creates some separation and wins 24-14.
I can’t thank Maurice enough for answering this week’s questions. Make sure you head over to Arrowhead Pride and @MrMauriceElston on Twitter to check out his work.
As always, go Colts.
