This week, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 on “Sunday Night Football.” The game kicks off at 7:20 p.m. Arrowhead time and will be broadcast locally on KSHB.
The Chiefs are riding high after a 31-10 victory over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night. The game saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes return to the field, along with a host of new Chiefs making their NFL and team debuts. The lopsided win made waves across the NFL and put the rest of the league on notice.
The Colts
ran into a buzzsaw in week one, getting blown out 41-23 by the Baltimore Ravens. A few garbage-time touchdowns kept it respectable for the Colts, but the majority of the game did not go their way.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen is 0-1 against Andy Reid head-to-head, and the loss came last season when the Chiefs narrowly beat the Colts 23-20 at home last season in overtime.
Here are five things to watch in another AFC battle:
1. Improving the passing attack
Despite the Chiefs’ Week 1 win over Denver, the pass game struggled for most of the night.
Mahomes completed just 15 of 27 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns, and threw an interception. Tight end Travis Kelce led all pass catchers with 71 yards, and no player had more than three receptions. When you take receptions away from tight ends and running backs, the Chiefs’ wide receivers combined for a measly five receptions for 37 yards: two for Rashee Rice and three for Xavier Worthy.
Tight ends and running backs will remain engaged in the passing game, but the Chiefs’ receivers must turn in a much better performance than they did in week one, and Mahomes must as well.
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton and rookie wide receiver Cyrus Allen each had only one target in the contest, but the staff should consider giving each more looks, especially given Rice and Worthy’s struggles.
In Week 1, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Zay Flowers caught five passes for 150 yards, and the Colts seemed helpless to stop the onslaught.
Last season against the Colts, Mahomes threw for 352 yards, with Rice having 141 of them, and Worthy chipping in with 59 as well. The Colts return much of the same defense they played in 2025, so it will be worth watching to see if the Chiefs can duplicate last season’s performance.
2. Stopping Jonathan Taylor
The Colts offense looked dormant for long stretches on Sunday, but star running back Jonathan Taylor still had a productive game, putting up just under 100 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor was third in the NFL in 2025 with 1,585 rushing yards, and led the league with 18 touchdowns on the ground.
The Chiefs ranked ninth in the NFLin 2025 in rushing yards allowed, giving up only 1797, and were tied for sixth in yards per carry allowed at four per handoff.
Against the Colts last season, Kansas City bottled up Taylor, allowing only 58 yards on 17 handoffs, and kept him under four yards a clip.
In Week 1 against Denver, the Chiefs allowed 54 yards to running backs, but with the Broncos handing the ball off only 11 times, the sample size was small.
Taylor is the Colts’ catalyst for offensive success, and the front seven and linebackers need to be ready to stop him.
3. 3rd down dominance
The Chiefs defense dominated on crucial downs in Week 1, holding the Broncos to only two conversions over 12 third downs. That effort kept Denver from getting any offensive rhythm and helped the Chiefs hold them to three points in the second half.
The Colts struggled on third down in Week 1, converting only three in 10 attempts.
The Chiefs secondary played outstanding in the opener, allowing only six total first downs through the air, and the revamped pass rush put consistent pressure on quarterback Bo Nix all game, sacking him four times and recording five total hits while consistently forcing him out of the pocket.
Stopping third downs kills momentum, and the Chiefs emphasize this when looking to stop the Colts.
4. Starting fast
In their Week 1 performance, the Colts trailed by three touchdowns with five minutes to play in the first half. On the other end, the Chiefs jumped up by two scores on the Broncos early in the second half and never looked back.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones struggled to get his team back in the game and posted a lowly 28.7 quarterback rating while throwing an interception and taking two sacks.
The Colts lost wide receiver Michael Pittman this offseason, and now, No. 1 wide receiver Alex Pierce (Heel) is missing practice Thursday; he didn’t participate after practicing in full to begin this week.
By jumping ahead early, they can force Indianapolis into passing situations and make Jones the player who beats them.
On the other end, the bigger the lead the Chiefs build early, the more effective their running attack with Kenneth Walker will be later in the game.
The Chiefs came out hot against the Broncos in Week 1, and if they can replicate that energy, they can put the Colts in a bind early.
5. Emmet Johnson
While Kenneth Walker stole the show in week one, the Chiefs rookie running back quietly turned in a solid outing.
While he rushed for only 24 yards on eight carries, Johnson showed his smooth open-field running and cutting ability on two screen passes for 44 yards.
Walker had 26 total touches in Week 1, so it will be interesting to see if his workload helps get the rookie more snaps.
One elite back is great, but having another with the potential to be an impact-making player will only make the team stronger down the stretch.
