Are you ready for some Chiefs football?
Like the past three seasons, the Chiefs Wire staff will offer its weekly predictions for each Chiefs game. Here are our picks for Kansas City’s Week 5 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts
Charles Goldman’s pick: Chiefs win 30-23
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @goldmctNFL
I locked my pick in ahead of the season, shortly after Andrew Luck announced his retirement. I have the utmost respect for Chris Ballard and how he’s built this team. They added some really good pieces on both sides of the ball this season and despite losing their franchise quarterback, the team is set up to find success.
Right now, injuries could easily become the main storyline of this game. The Colts are hurting on the defensive side of the ball, down two starting safeties and potentially two starting linebackers. They’ve also got injuries on the offensive side of the ball with T.Y. Hilton and Marlon Mack banged up. At the same time, the Chiefs could be without both Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins. This is shaping up to be a battle of the replacements for both teams, however, I give the edge to the home team.
Wesley Roesch’s pick: Chiefs win 41-31
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @WesleyRoesch
Despite Andrew Luck’s retirement, I don’t think the Chiefs or Kansas City fans should underestimate the Colts. They have a lot of awesome players on both sides of the ball and Jacoby Brissett is quietly tied with Patrick Mahomes with 10 passing touchdowns.
I do think the Chiefs bounce back after a sloppy performance last week. A home primetime game is exactly what the team needs to get back in the groove. The offense should roll — I expect K.C. to go up early — but the defense could give up a nice chunk of yards to keep Indy in the game until the end.
Nicolas Roesch’s pick: Chiefs win 38-27
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @Nicolas_Roesch
Although I think the Colts are an underrated team, they are entering this matchup very banged up. Being without Darius Leonard or Malik Hooker will be a big blow for them and even if T.Y. Hilton plays, it doesn’t seem that he’s going to be at 100 percent.
Another factor working against the Colts is that they have to play in Arrowhead in primetime. The crowd will be hostile and the Chiefs should get a little extra boost because of it. Mahomes and the K.C. offense is coming off a mistake-riddled performance against the Detroit Lions and will be looking to bounce back in a big way.
John Dillon’s pick: Chiefs win 33-24
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @TheJohnDillon
Going into the season Kansas City was billed as a top Super Bowl contender and a quarter way through the season they’ve lived up to every expectation. Even without a key piece of their offense in Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes and his cadre of gifted young offensive talent have been able to hold back fierce competition from teams who look extra-amped to be playing a dominant Chiefs team.
This week against Indianapolis will be another litmus test for Kansas City as they seek to prove their worth against the team they beat in the playoffs last year. One of the biggest storylines coming into the regular season was the abrupt retirement of Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck, but current starter Jacoby Brissett has looked the part in his time at the helm of Frank Reich’s offense, even if the sample size is relatively small.
On the other side, the Colts’ defense is a little banged up going into week five, with Malik Hooker and Darius Leonard both out for the matchup. If their defense can hang on against the best offense in the NFL Indianapolis has a real shot at winning this game.
I personally don’t see an upset happening, but I’ve been wrong before, and the Chiefs are bound to lose a winnable game eventually. I’ll take Kansas City 33-24 this week and expect shot plays from Andy Reid with Indianapolis’ secondary reeling from injury.
Continue…
Vinciane Ngomsi’s pick: Chiefs Win 38-21
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @VincianeNgomsi
This Sunday night matchup was decided prior to Andrew Luck’s retirement, so we’ll miss the rematch between two exceptional quarterbacks. Indianapolis has shown a lot of grit in the first several matches of the year, but I don’t think it’s enough to rally against a strong Kansas City team in primetime at Arrowhead Stadium. T.Y. Hilton returned to practice Thursday, but I don’t expect him to be available for every offensive snap.
After throwing zero touchdown passes last week, Patrick Mahomes is looking to get back into the swing of things. Even in Justin Houston’s return to Kansas City, there’s not a doubt Andy Reid’s offensive unit will want to remedy several of the mistakes that contributed to last week’s nail-biting game. The Colts will certainly make this competitive, but after 60 minutes of play, the Chiefs will walk away with a blemish-free record.
Danilo Di Julio’s pick: Chiefs win 45-23
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @ThunderDan88
The national football stage will only have two teams performing this Sunday night, both coming off different challenges. The Colts, who were winners of two straight before being humbled by the Raiders, travel to Arrowhead to face a Chiefs passing offense which will be looking to set off some fireworks after being held without a touchdown through the air in Week 4.
At the running back position, Damien Williams returns for Kansas City while Marlon Mack hasn’t practiced all but one day this week. Both are listed as questionable heading into the game. While the Chiefs would like to have Damien out there, Mack would be a bigger loss for Indianapolis. The Colts are missing two key players on defense who may be the straws that break their camel’s back. Last season’s defensive rookie of the year, LB Darius Leonard, and Safety Malik Hooker are both out at key positions that the Chiefs can and will likely attack with Travis Kelce.
Look for the Chiefs to attack early and often through the air, getting back to scoring touchdowns in the first quarter on their way to a big win.
Talon Graff’s pick: 31-17
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @CoachGraff34
The Chiefs faced adversity for the first time last week against the Lions and if it wasn’t clear before, it should be clear now, Patrick Mahomes is a leader. Even though he had zero touchdown passes, the team still put up 34 points. Mahomes put the team on his shoulders and continuously put the offense in position to score. There are no words to truly explain how excited I am to see our Chiefs in primetime action against the Colts.
Indianapolis is a tough team to peg so far in 2019. Jacoby Brissett has been a solid starter and has really stepped up since the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck. The biggest point differential the Colts have had all year came last week in a 31-24 loss to the Raiders. They are used to close contests but I don’t see this game being close at all. The Indy injury report is full of key players and any team limping into a game at Arrowhead Stadium doesn’t usually have much of a chance. They say any given Sunday, but Sunday, October 6th will be an exception to that cliche.
Kevin Scott’s pick: Chiefs win 42-14
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @KevinScottFF
This has all the makings of a blowout game in favor of the Chiefs. They are playing at home, in front of what should be a raucous crowd. They are playing against a defense that has been struggling and currently ranks 24th against the pass and 32nd against the run. They are also struggling with health on defense, playing without both star linebacker Darius Leonard (concussion) and safety Malik Hooker (knee) last week. They may be back, but this defensive unit is out of sorts.
In their playoff matchup last year, the Colts struggled to contain the edges against the Chiefs, and they struggled to stop the run game. I look for the Chiefs to take advantage of the Colts again on the ground, which will set up good looks in the passing game. Whether Damien Williams is back or they stick with LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams in this game, either way, they should have great success on the ground.
The Colts offense has been passable and should be able to move the ball against the Chiefs defense. But the defense plays better at home and makes more big plays in Arrowhead. I look for them to generate a couple turnovers and do a much better job against the run this week.
Continue…
Ed Easton’s pick: Chiefs win 35-17
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @EdEastonJr
This week’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts will feature another exciting quarterback matchup. Jacoby Brissett will play well in spurts throughout the game but will turn the ball over to a tenacious Chiefs defense. The defense led by Chris Jones will feed off the electric crowd on Sunday night and attack Brissett all game long.
Patrick Mahones will have another high caliber performance, but the real story will be LeSean McCoy, who will get more carries and break the 100 yard mark for the first time this season. Travis Kelce will also reach the endzone late in the game to seal another victory and 5-0 start to the year.
Mitch Carney’s pick: Chiefs win 34-20
Season record: 4-0
Twitter: @MitchMitchcar11
I’m predicting a two-score win against the Colts for the Chiefs this Sunday night. Patrick Mahomes and the offense should put up at least 34 points. The offense will be looking to have a bounce-back game after having a flat performance against the Lions. This offense is made for primetime, so I’m expecting it to be at full speed with the whole world watching.
The defense hasn’t impressed me so far this season, but I believe it will be their best game yet. It’s the first primetime game at home, so the crowd is going to be loud which will make the job easier for the defense. Not to mention the Colts offense is a little banged up with injuries to both Marlon Mack and T.Y. Hilton so hopefully the Chiefs defense can take advantage of the injuries to slow down Colts.
Max Ramsey’s pick:
Season record: 3-0
Twitter: @The_Wild_Chief
After last week’s odd matchup with the Lions, I fully expect Kansas City to get back on track in their second home game of the year against the Colts. Under the lights in prime time should get the players amped up for an exciting game atmosphere.
Even without Andrew Luck, the Colts are a solid team. They have young talented players on both sides of the ball and can play a solid all-around game. They may not excel at any one aspect, but where they shine is in a balanced attack on both offense and defense.
I look to see the Chiefs take advantage of the injuries on both sides of the ball for Indianapolis and come away with their fifth win of the year. Kansas City wins 35-21.
