Patrick Mahomes and company are 2-0 heading into the Kansas City Chiefs Week 3 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. This game is between two teams heading in opposite directions, which could make for a lopsided Chiefs-Colts matchup. That said, you never know what can happen on any given Sunday, so we’ll be making some bold Chiefs Week 3 predictions.
The Chiefs looked like world-beaters in Week 1, besting the Arizona Cardinals 44-21. But it took a late pick-six against a banged-up Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers to secure the Week 2 divisional victory.
On the Colts' side, the Matt Ryan Era is not off to a good start. After a disappointing tie with the Houston Texans in Week 1, things got even worse for Indy after losing on the road to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the eighth-straight season.
The Chiefs-Colts game seems like a no-brainer on paper, but the Colts are a desperate team. If they drop to 0-2-1 after Week 3, their season might already be over. With all that in mind, here are a few bold Chiefs Week 3 predictions.
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4. The Chiefs run defense gets tested
The Chiefs run defense has been good so far this season. The unit is currently ranked 11th, having given up 178 yards on the ground in two games. The Chiefs only gave up 93 rushing yards to the Chargers, and of the 128 allowed vs. the Cardinals, 29 of those were to QB Kyler Murray.
Last year’s leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor, is a different beast, though.
Part of the Colts’ struggles this season involves the team’s inability to get Taylor going. In the first half of Week 1 when the Colts looked bad, Taylor had 14 carries for 68 yards. During the second-half comeback, he put up 93 yards on 17 carries.
In the Week 2 loss — with Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce out — Taylor inexplicably only had nine carries for 54 yards.
This is only the fourth time in his career that Jonathan Taylor has been held beneath 7.5 PPR fantasy points. What an ugly game by the Colts' offense.
— Tristan H. Cockcroft (@SultanofStat) September 18, 2022
Frank Reich wanted to play with his new toy in Matt Ryan these first two weeks, but if he sat down and took a long, hard look at his team, he likely realized he needs to pound the rock and control the clock in the Week 3 Chiefs-Colts matchup.
Look for Indianapolis to go hard after last year’s 21st-ranked rushing D in Week 3.
3. Patrick Mahomes continues to spread it around
The biggest worry for Chiefs fans this offseason is what Patrick Mahomes would do without Tyreek Hill. So far, the answer is to spread the extra touches around evenly to his deep stable of pass-catchers.
Look for more of the same in the Week 3 Chiefs-Colts tilt.
Travis Kelce is still Mahomes’ favorite target with 13 catches for 172 yards this season. But the superstar QB has 10 other pass-catchers with receptions, none of whom have double-digit grabs. The leaders in this group so far are JuJu Smith-Schuster (nine catches), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (seven), Mecole Hardman (6), and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (6).
It’s hard to replace a difference-maker like Hill, but Mahomes has done a nice job of it by keeping defenses guessing as to who he’s going next.
2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire outplays Jonathan Taylor
Much of this game will be about Jonathan Taylor. However, when the dust settles, and the final stats are tallied, the bold Chiefs Week 3 prediction here is that Clyde Edwards-Helaire comes away as the game’s best RB.
Edwards-Helaire came to KC as an unquestioned starter to replace Kareem Hunt. In his first two seasons, he didn’t have all that much competition, and his production seemed like it suffered as a result.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire coming through 😳 @Clydro_22 #TNFonPrime #LACvsKC on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/Fa02SqPmRn pic.twitter.com/pvTRNTTH8w— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2022
This preseason, seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco pushed CEH in training camp, and the veteran responded. Through two games. Edwards-Helaire has done well, putting up 192 all-purpose yards, and that was without playing much in garbage time of Week 1.
In the Week 3 Chiefs-Colts tilt, look for Edwards-Helaire to not only have the most rushing yards in the game but also find the end zone for the first time in the 2022 campaign.
1. Chiefs 30, Colts 13
It surely doesn’t matter to Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs, but they can’t help but hear the buzz about the Buffalo Bills being the best team in the NFL right now.
The final bold Chiefs Week 3 prediction is that echoes of the “Bills are the best” rumblings will be in the back of their head when they go out and pound the Colts at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday.
The Chiefs are on the road, but after the Colts’ slow start, the Lucas Oil Stadium faithful could turn on their team quickly if things start to go awry. Mahomes and the Chiefs will take advantage of this and fly all over the dome, winning this game going away.
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