Chiefs at Colts
As road trips go, Indianapolis hasn’t been one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ favorite destinations. The Chiefs hope to change their fortunes in the Circle City when they take on the host Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
The Colts have won four of the last five regular-season meetings and are 4-1 against Chiefs coach Andy Reid - and neither of those marks includes a stunning 45-44 victory in the 2013 Wild Card game. Kansas City led that one 38-10 early in the third quarter in its most recent trip to Indianapolis before giving up 35 second-half points. "I obviously remember the outcome and being pretty disappointed," Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith told reporters. "It was a long time ago, though. When you start thinking about it, one year is a long time in the NFL, let alone a couple of years. A lot has changed since then, so it's hard to even look at that tape." Indeed, the Chiefs look like a different team from the one they were even in Week 4 - when they were routed 43-14 at Pittsburgh - and have won two straight coming out of their bye week, while the Colts have captured two of their last three despite a shaky defense.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Chiefs -2.5. O/U: 50
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (4-2): Kansas City’s offense has been unspectacular, but Smith takes care of the ball and running back Spencer Ware has emerged as a major weapon, ranking third in the NFL in scrimmage yards. Rookie receiver Tyreek Hill hauled in his third touchdown pass in last week’s 27-21 win over New Orleans and has given Smith a speedy deep threat to add to a solid receiving corps. The Chiefs’ defense has been the definition of a bend-not-break unit, ranking 23rd in total defense but 11th in scoring thanks to 14 takeaways – including a league-best 10 interceptions.
ABOUT THE COLTS (3-4): Indianapolis ranks near the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive category but turned in one of its better defensive performances of the year in last week’s 34-26 win at Tennessee. Andrew Luck has returned to form after last year’s injury-shortened campaign and ranks third in the league in passing yards with 14 touchdowns against four interceptions. The offense has been fairly pass-heavy but can hurt opponents on the ground with veteran Frank Gore.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Kansas City CB Marcus Peters has made five interceptions this season – more than 13 NFL teams.
2. Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck has topped 300 yards passing in five of his last six home games, registering 15 touchdowns and a 100.5 rating over that span.
3. Colts K Adam Vinatieri has made an NFL-record 43 consecutive field goals.