AFC Game Of The Week 

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

Colts (8-2):

It’s been a season full of surprises, and they are by far the biggest surprise of 2025. In the AFC alone, the New England Patriots have returned to relevance and the Denver Broncos are rolling, proving last season wasn’t a fluke. You can now throw this team from Indianapolis into that conversation as well. This AFC South division was supposed to be gift-wrapped with a big red bow for the Houston Texans—and look at how they’ve played this year. I give a lot of credit to Shane Steichen. He deserves a ton of love for the job he’s done with this group and serious consideration for Coach of the Year. There’s no way anyone (myself included) had this team in first place and sitting at 8–2 after ten games. Prior to their bye, they faced the Atlanta Falcons in Germany and needed overtime to win. The reason for the win? Jonathan Taylor. He’s been the best running back—and you can argue the best player—in the league this year. He finished that game with 244 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He’s been everything to a Colts team that has defied the odds and stacked wins. But to be honest, as great as he’s been, I don’t think he’ll get serious MVP love—and here’s why. We all saw how great Saquon Barkley was last season in his debut with the Eagles. He joined the 2,000-yard rushing club and nearly broke Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. And even then, Saquon didn’t get a single MVP vote. I sadly see the same happening to Jonathan unless he ends the year with something like 25 touchdowns or more and joins the 2,000-yard rushing club, that’s the only way. I’m not a fan of the MVP becoming a quarterback-only award, but here we are. This Sunday, they head to Arrowhead for a huge game.

Chiefs (5-5):

I’ve run out of things to say about them—and not in a good way. They have dominated the AFC West for years and were favorites to win it again entering the season. I’ve watched this team closely every year since Patrick Mahomes became the starter, and one thing I can always say is they played with consistency, especially on offense. This season, that has not been the case, and I’m disappointed they aren’t adjusting. Last season, this team went 11–0 in one-score games. This year, they’re 0–5 in those contests, and here they are sitting at .500 after ten games. Normally, they go on cruise control and start playing their best football around mid-November, but I haven’t seen it. I have absolutely no issue with the Chiefs defense whatsoever. If anything, they’ve kept them in games. It’s been the offense—and the lack of a running game—that has hurt this group. Let’s look back at three of their losses so far. The loss to Jacksonville? On the offense. The loss to the Bills? Also on the offense. The loss to Denver in Week 11? Same story. Defenses have figured them out, and they haven’t adjusted. I see them forcing deep shots hoping for chunk plays, but the underneath throws aren’t working and the only thing consistently bailing them out is when Mahomes makes unscheduled scrambles but how often are they able to rely on this time in and time out? Their offense doesn’t put fear into defenses as it once did and I’ve seen this since last season. They return home this Sunday for the biggest game of their season.

Colts X-Factor: Laiatu Latu

I was a fan of his in college, and I’m happy to see him emerging as one of the forces on this Indy defense. He can collapse the pocket and force Mahomes into hurried passes—which is crucial since the Chiefs offense relies on quick timing and play-action. Latu is a young, athletic EDGE with explosiveness off the line that allows him to win one-on-one matchups, and he’ll have the upper hand against the Kansas City tackles. Under new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, this defense is designed to create confusion and exploit mismatches.

Chiefs X-Factor: George Karlaftis

He’s a natural on the defensive line, and since the Chiefs drafted him, he’s become a key piece of what Steve Spagnuolo wants to do defensively. Karlaftis is versatile—he can line up on the interior or the edge to generate pressure and attack the Colts’ offensive line, potentially putting Anthony Richardson (not Daniel Jones) in uncomfortable situations and disrupting timing. He’s a playmaker, and a strip-sack, forced fumble, or consistent pressure could spark the Chiefs. He can disrupt Indianapolis before they ever find a rhythm.

Final Thoughts:

When you first saw this matchup on the schedule weeks ago, you probably assumed the Chiefs would enter with the better record, right? We couldn’t have been more wrong. The Colts are in cruise control of the AFC South, and the Chiefs have a steep hill to climb because four of the teams they’ve lost to (Denver, Buffalo, Jacksonville, and the Chargers) are all ahead of them in the playoff picture and own tiebreakers. This is the biggest game for Indy since their AFC Championship appearance against the Patriots in 2015, and it’s a must-win for the Chiefs, who are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. For the Colts, limiting Kansas City’s explosive plays is key. Their offense thrives on big shots down the field. Keeping everything in front and forcing long, sustained drives works in Indy’s favor. Winning the line of scrimmage—both in run-blocking and pass-protection—is crucial, especially against a Steve Spagnuolo defense. Feed Jonathan Taylor, sustain drives, control the clock, and pressure Mahomes. Force hurried throws and make him play from the pocket, don’t allow him to extend the play. For the Chiefs, keeping Mahomes protected is priority number one. Lou Anarumo will throw exotic pressures, stunts, and twists at him all game long. The offense must try something new—what they’ve been doing is why they’re stuck where they are now. Establishing even a functional running game would help, and exploiting mismatches in the passing game is necessary. There’s so much at stake, and this game shouldn’t disappoint.

Prediction:

Chiefs 27, Colts 24