Arrowhead Pride
Before the Kansas City Chiefs met the Denver Broncos in the NFL’s Week 11, every member of our Arrowhead Pride panel picked the Chiefs to win. For the second straight week — and the fourth time this season — every one of them guessed wrong, and our aggregate prediction for a 24-15 Kansas City win carried 24 points of error* compared to the 22-19 loss. Our readers were much less convinced. Almost one third picked Denver to win — most calling for a close game.
In Week 12, the Chiefs host the Indianapolis Colts on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. According to FanDuel Sportsbook , Kansas City is favored by 3.5 points.
Let’s see what the staff — and our readers — think about the matchup.
I’ll be honest: I have no idea how this game is going to go. I have no clue what to think about this team.
On one hand, I can see Kansas City rolling in this game. If the defense can get quarterback Daniel Jones to turn the ball over under pressure, it can force Indianapolis into a negative game script. I could see the offense bouncing back against a worse defense.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t shock me to see running back Jonathan Taylor run wild. I just saw Kansas City give up a bunch of rushing yards to James Cook. The Indianapolis running game is even better. I could see defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo taking parts of Denver’s game plan and frustrating the offense.
I’ve considered this carefully — and I really don’t have a great answer. I’m picking Kansas City only because it seems hard to believe they’ll lose three in a row. But to be honest, I need to see this game to decide where I’m at with the team over the rest of the season.
Chiefs 24, Colts 17
This is a tough one. I am not convinced the Chiefs are finished. Like tight end Travis Kelce, I still believe they have it within them to reach the postseason and make a run. But if that happens, it’s going to be even harder than we previously thought. With the way things now stand, the Indianapolis wide receiver group, Taylor and Anarumo are just going to be too much for the team to handle.
I also think another narrow loss will finally be enough to force the coaching staff to make the small changes necessary for Kansas City to pull off a 6-0 run and reach the postseason — and if there’s a rematch in January, I think the Chiefs can prevail.
Colts 23, Chiefs 20
Last week’s loss to Denver all but confirmed that Kansas City won’t repeat as AFC West champions — and delivered a serious blow to their playoff hopes. That makes this week’s matchup with the Colts feel like a playoff game in November. It’s a true must-win for the Chiefs...
