Horseshoe Huddle

How Colts Can Hinder Chiefs' Dynasty With a Win This Week

The Indianapolis Colts could put the Kansas City Chiefs on the chopping block this Sunday.
Sean Ackerman|
Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.
Nov 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Indianapolis Colts

The Kansas City Chiefs have made five of the last six Super Bowls. During that span, the Indianapolis Colts have made the playoffs once, losing to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.

Ever since Patrick Mahomes took over in Kansas City, the Chiefs have been the team to beat. Their offense seems to put points on the board at will, but the 2025 season has been a different story.

The Chiefs are 5-5 through 11 weeks of NFL action, and they're on the brink of missing the postseason for the first time since 2014.

The Colts, on the other hand, are 8-2 and will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the reigning AFC champs in Week 12. If the Colts hand the Chiefs a sixth loss, they'll be in danger of missing the postseason.

NFL.com columnist Jeffri Chadiha says that this Colts-Chiefs matchup is the most intriguing one of the week, and he sees the danger for Kansas City.

"Now comes [the Colts'] opportunity to make another huge statement in Kansas City against a Chiefs team that is facing real concerns," Chadiha wrote. "The defending AFC champions have lost two straight games to championship contenders (Buffalo and Denver) to fall to 5-5."

"The Chiefs also are sitting in a crowded race for wild-card spots with Denver holding a huge advantage in the battle for the AFC West. In years past, the Chiefs have been used to vying for the top seed in the conference playoffs. If they lose to Indianapolis, there’s a real chance they could miss the postseason."

After Week 11, the Chiefs sit in 9th place in the AFC standings. Now that they are four games behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West title race, their only hope may be to make the wild-card round.

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The current 7th seed is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are 6-4 after thrashing the Los Angeles Chargers at home. The Chiefs are close to them, but they're also behind the 8th-seeded Houston Texans, who have found a way to win their last two games without C.J. Stroud.

If the Colts do beat the Chiefs, they'll propel themselves back to the top of the AFC standings. The Colts only have a 2-game lead in the AFC South, which makes this final stretch all the more important as they look to claim their first division title since 2014, the same year the Chiefs last missed the playoffs.

Even if Shane Steichen's Colts win against Kansas City, they still face the Texans and Jaguars twice each. If the Colts win three or four of those games, they may end up helping the Chiefs in their playoff hunt because the Chiefs need both of them to lose.

On top of dealing with the Texans and Jaguars, the Chiefs must worry about the Baltimore Ravens, who are slowly getting back to full health. With Lamar Jackson under center, the Ravens can beat anybody in the league.

This is just another reason why home-field advantage and a first-round bye are so important. It would be unfortunate if the Colts finally made the playoffs for the first time in five years as a 2-seed just to face the Chiefs in the first round.

The Chiefs have so much postseason experience that it would be practically unfair for Daniel Jones and Shane Steichen to get their first taste of playoff football against a team that has played in the last six AFC championship games.

With that in mind, the main goal for the Colts is to win this week to prevent the Chiefs from even making the playoffs. The Colts can't control who they face, but they can control the number one seed in the conference if they win out.

Colts vs. Chiefs will be a showstopper on Sunday afternoon.

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Sean Ackerman
SEAN ACKERMAN

Sean Ackerman is the co-Deputy Editor of Indianapolis Colts on SI. Ackerman, a graduate of Western Kentucky University, majored in broadcasting. He's in his third year covering the NFL.

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