5 Keys for Colts to Pull Off Monumental Upset in Primetime vs. Chiefs

Sunday Night Football goes down tonight when the Indianapolis Colts travel to the vaunted Arrowhead Stadium to take on Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs.

These two squads are heading into this game with completely different stories.

The Chiefs dominated their AFC West rival Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, 31-10.

For the Colts, they were embarrassed at home by the Baltimore Ravens, 41-23.

Indianapolis must figure out a way to turn things around, but this situation resembles jumping out of the fire and into the frying pan.

It will take a Herculean effort from Shane Steichen and the Colts, and these five keys must be adhered to get the job done in primetime.

Let's begin.

Daniel Jones Must Exorcise His Primetime Demons

Daniel Jones tries to throw the football. — Sep 13, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) throws the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This entry is an interesting one, as it doesn't pertain to Indy's disastrous showing against the Ravens last Sunday.

Instead, it focuses solely on quarterback Daniel Jones and his horrific struggles playing on the biggest stage throughout his NFL career.

Jones hasn't played a primetime game as the Indianapolis QB up to this point, but still owns an awful 1-15 record when the lights are the brightest.

Daniel Jones has the worst primetime record by any QB (1-15) in NFL history

The Colts will be in primetime on Sunday night vs the Chiefs!
— Doug Clawson (@doug_clawson) September 17, 2026

It's worth noting that Jones' time with the New York Giants was quite rocky, and the offensive roster wasn't necessarily built well around him to win the biggest games.

It also didn't help that then-head coach Brian Daboll struggled to build around the former sixth-overall pick.

Last year, we saw the best version of Jones, and while Week 1 of the 2026 season was a bad game for Indianapolis, he's in better hands now then at any point during his shaky tenure with the Giants.

The hope is that the situation was mostly the issue and that the Colts are a massive upgrade to help Jones overcome this wild record.

If not, then it can be assumed that Jones simply can't handle the pressure of playing the standalone game when the whole world is watching.

The Blitz Must Be Navigated

Shane Steichen walks down the sideline and tries to toss out coaching instructions. — Sep 13, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen looks on during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Ravens, head coach Jesse Minter, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver tossed constant blitzes at Jones last week. Ultimately, Jones was the most pressured QB in the league for Week 1.

#Colts QB Daniel Jones was the most pressured quarterback of Week 1, according to @NextGenStats.

Jones was pressured on 18 of his 34 dropbacks (52.9%) against the Ravens.
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) September 14, 2026

Jones didn't generate any momentum or rhythm and was constantly under attack. This led to a mediocre stat line of 19/31 completions for 166 passing yards, one touchdown and one pick.

Remember how I said this game is like jumping out of the fire and into the frying pan for Indianapolis? Well, that also applies to Jones, who now draws arguably the best defensive coordinator in the league, Steve Spagnuolo.

I fully expect Spagnuolo to send missile strikes at Jones, so whether it's Steichen's passing plan or Tony Sparano Jr.'s blocking scheme, the Colts need to help Jones as much as possible.

It's also worth noting that Jones needs to respond better to the defensive pressure.

Regardless of how ironclad the offense picks up the blitzes, Jones will undoubtedly face at least some adversity and will need to counter far more effectively than he did against Baltimore.

Better Communication Defensively

Akeem Davis-Gaither looks on during a training camp practice. — Indianapolis Colts linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither (51) walks up the field on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, during practice at Colts Camp at Grand Park in Westfield. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Lou Anarumo's defense was a complete mess against the Ravens, and while Lamar Jackson has a phenomenal record against the respected coordinator, it was still an eyesore to watch.

However, an interesting factoid is that the green dot, or the defensive quarterback, wasn't a linebacker. Instead, it was free safety Cam Bynum.

Typically, the green dot for an NFL defense is a linebacker, but this wasn't the case on Sunday.

After assessing that Bynum running things on the field might have caused confusion and disarray for the defense, Anarumo has passed on the duties to linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.

Davis-Gaither has been tasked with this before during his days under Anarumo with the Cincinnati Bengals. The hope is that this will help clean up some communication on the field against the Chiefs.

Indianapolis Colts' Akeem Davis-Gaither Reacts to Being Given 'Green-Dot' Duties pic.twitter.com/a4IfkViFCy
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) September 16, 2026

The defensive pitfall against Baltimore can't solely be blamed on Bynum and the lack of defensive cohesion, but it also can't be ignored.

We'll see if this adjustment makes things better for Indy's defense tonight.

Get Tyler Warren More Involved

Tyler Warren signals to the officials that he scored a touchdown. — Sep 13, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tyler Warren is arguably the top pass-catcher for Indy's offense, and his success is vital to how efficiently the Colts move the football.

Against Baltimore, Warren's impact was minimal; without his fourth-quarter receiving score, his numbers would have been invisible. He finished with just three catches for 13 yards and a touchdown.

Touchdown Tyler Warren#BALvsIND on CBS pic.twitter.com/aJ6qGQqW0s
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 13, 2026

Top wideout Alec Pierce was on a snap count after recovering from his ankle surgery, which could have factored into the Ravens defense focusing more on Warren.

Pierce is on tap to see the field far more against the Chiefs, so this should help Warren jar loose more often so Jones can get the ball into his hands.

It will be critical for Warren to have a much bigger contribution so that Steichen's offense can be more diverse in the passing attack while opening up things for Jonathan Taylor on the ground.

Better Run Defense from the Interior

Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner show their disdain for a call on the field. — Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart (90) and Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) react after a play Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, during the regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Colts have one of the best defensive tackle duos in DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. However, Baltimore had its way with the pair on Sunday.

Derrick Henry tore apart Indy's defensive front with 144 rushing yards and three ground scores.

While the blame can't be completely placed on Buckner and Stewart, they also finished with the two worst Pro Football Focus run defense grades from the game for the Colts (Buckner - 32.2, Stewart - 31.5).

Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III is coming off of a massive performance against Denver that saw him accrue 173 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Mahomes will almost always get his passing numbers, but given how much the Colts struggled to stop the Ravens from running the ball, Kansas City will likely try to shove Walker down Indy's throat.

Stewart and Buckner cannot afford to be this bad in run defense again, or Walker will be given the green light to punch the football right up the middle over and over again.

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