The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the more talked-about teams heading into Week 12. They host the Indianapolis Colts for a highly anticipated AFC battle in Kansas City. At 5-5, the Chiefs need to win this game badly to put themselves in a position to contend for the playoffs. If they lose and fall to 5-6, they will quickly be running out of time.
The AFC is competitive, and they are currently in 9th place behind the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, who both have the tiebreaker over KC. The Chiefs are likely out of the running to win the AFC West, so if they want to make it to the playoffs, they must do whatever it takes to sneak in as a six or seven seed. They do have time to turn things around and finish the season on a high note. The good news is that they do play the Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos one more time to earn big wins. They will easily beat the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans. At minimum, the Chiefs will have 8-9 wins.
The Chiefs believe they can beat anybody in front of them, and they are certainly capable of it. Andy Reid and the Chiefs just have not been as successful in one-score games. Going from undefeated to winless in one-score games is extremely rare, but it is the current reality for KC. They have failed to get the job done in close games all year long after perfecting it. Maybe it's just the law of averages evening things out?
The Colts are up next. A team led by Daniel “Indiana” Jones and Jonathan Taylor has become a serious contender in the AFC. This contest will not be easy. Let's get into some bold predictions for the Chiefs in what will be a must-win game.
Bold Prediction No. 3: Chiefs' Defense Allows Fewer Than 3 TDs
The Chiefs' defense is going to protect their home field. A lot of people are going to expect the Colts to run all over the Chiefs with Jonathan Taylor. While he may just do that, I don't expect the Colts to finish off the drives with TDs all game long. The KC defense is going to continue its elite play. Outside of the game against the Buffalo Bills, they have allowed only three touchdowns in three games. In the last three home games, the defense has allowed only three as well. The Detroit Lions, Raiders, and Washington Commanders combined to score 24 points. I know the Colts are a much better offense than the Raiders and Commanders, but the Chiefs' defense steps up its game in front of the home fans.
KC is ninth in the NFL in opposing rushing per game, allowing exactly 100.0. This defense knows how to stop the run. They are also 4th in the league in scoring defense, allowing only 18.1 points per game.
Bold Prediction No. 2: Rashee Rice Scores Not Once, But Twice
This game has Rashee Rice written all over it. In four games this season, Rice has been a massive part of the offense. He already has 26 receptions on 35 targets. He's scored four times (one rushing) with two against the Raiders. I expect a similar outing against the Colts. Rice will catch 6+ passes and find the end zone multiple times. He may even get a carry in the red zone, which has happened before. He has four carries for 18 yards and one score on the season.
The Colts' defense is very good. Sauce Gardner is a part of the secondary now, but the Colts' defense struggled against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany. I expect Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Rice, and Travis Kelce to play very well. Rice will get the love in the end, scoring twice. The Colts allow 235.2 passing yards per game, which is 24th in the NFL.
Bold Prediction No. 1: Patrick Mahomes Magic
If the Kansas City Chiefs want to win this football game, they will need some late-game magic from their superstar. Mahomes is playing like an MVP this season, as he always does. However, this season has rarely seen Mahomes Mania in the clutch. They are winless in one-score games, but that will change this weekend. In what is going to be a close game on Sunday evening, Mahomes will have the ball late with a chance to win the game for the Chiefs. The three-time champion is going to do what is necessary to put his team on his back to defeat the Colts to save their season.
