The NFL world was rocked Saturday night with the news that Andrew Luck, the (now former) quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, was retiring. At 29 years old, the star quarterback made the decision after the previous few seasons were marked with injury. While now the Colts don’t have their star, they now have their quarterback, and his name is Jacoby Brissett.
The Kansas City Chiefs, however, have their quarterback too. After a clash in the Divisional Round at Arrowhead Stadium in January of 2019, the Colts season ended and the Chiefs moved on to the AFC Championship. That game, however, was considered game one of a budding Chiefs-Colts rivalry between two superstar signal-callers, Luck and Patrick Mahomes. While Luck is no longer part of the picture, and Brissett is not nearly the quarterback Luck was, the Colts are still a good team. A revamped defense led by linebackers Justin Houston, Darius Leonard, and safety Clayton Geathers, hopes to improve on past mistakes. Meanwhile on offense, still with T.Y. Hilton, Marlon Mack, Devin Funchess, and Eric Ebron, is still primed to give defenses headaches.
The Kansas City Chiefs Should Not Sleep on the Indianapolis Colts
The Chiefs, which should be considered a favorite to make it to the AFC Championship again this season, should not sleep on Indianapolis. While Luck is gone, there are still plenty of pieces left for a playoff run. Mind you, this is still a team led by coach Frank Reich, who, along with his magnificent beard, led this team in 2018 from a 1-5 hole to the Divisional Round. This is a good football team, and it would be a disservice to the Chiefs staff and players for fans to brush the Colts off with a simple “Eh, Luck is gone, they’re done.”
A Look Ahead
The Colts will play four teams that made the playoffs in 2018 (Texans [twice], Chargers, Chiefs, Saints). The Colts opponents have a combined .518 win percentage from 2018, which is tied for the seventh-most difficult schedule of 2019. The Chiefs, however, will play six teams that made the postseason last year (Patriots, Ravens, Chargers [twice], Bears, Texans, Colts). The Chiefs opponents have a combined .520 win percentage from last season which is tied for fifth-most difficult of 2019. Both teams have a tough road ahead, but both teams are built for the challenge.
While the Chiefs are playing for the Super Bowl, the Colts are playing to survive. A hungry dog (or horse?) fights the hardest. The Week Five primetime matchup at Arrowhead Stadium will be a big test for both teams. The Chiefs, the winner of the previous matchup, who held Andrew Luck to 203 yards and one touchdown pass, will need to pay close attention to Brissett’s first four games under center. A new head coach, more weapons, a better defense, and extra time to learn from the mistakes of his last season starting (2017), may mean a different level of play for Brissett. In 2017, Brissett threw 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions, tossing for 3,098 yards and rushing for 260 yards and four touchdowns. While that isn’t the stat line of a “good” quarterback, he had 2018 to sit behind Luck and develop.
Eric Ebron, T.Y. Hilton, Marlon Mack, and Devin Funchess mark a new offensive system under Frank Reich. While the Chiefs offense is just the same as 2018, if not better with speedsters Mecole Hardman and Darwin Thompson. The defense has been completely rebuilt with a new coaching staff under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Newcomers Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu lead the rebuilt unit under an entirely new scheme. This game could be a blowout, but if the Chiefs don’t take the Colts seriously, as they did in 2018, then it could be a little too close for comfort.
Let Them Fight
All that matters is that fans, players, and staff, simply let Brissett and the Colts play themselves out of contention. Even though last season they almost did just that, they came right back with a red hot 10-game winning streak into the playoffs. Even by the Week Five Chiefs-Colts matchup, it will still be too early to know the identity of the Colts, or even the Chiefs for that matter. It’s important to win, as always, but nobody should write them off simply because Andrew Luck is no longer a part of the team before the team is no longer in contention.
Overall, the news does impact the playoff picture already, but it’s entirely too early to be talking playoffs when we still have a week left in the preseason. Withhold judgement, let the Colts play their way into Arrowhead in Week Five, and whether that is the last time these teams see each other this season is entirely on Jacoby Brissett and Frank Reich’s shoulders. No pressure.
