Sunday Night Football Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/19/2026

The stage is set for another strong Sunday Night Football game to cap off a full Sunday of football. The Indianapolis Colts will travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. Both teams are coming off very different Week 1 performances, and this matchup could be very telling for the two franchises direction this season. The Colts were toppled by the Baltimore Ravens after giving up 31 points in the first half, ultimately losing 41-23. Jonathan Taylor will be a focal point for the Colts in this one as they will look to get him going early in an effort to control the clock and keep his defense off the field for as long as possible. As for the Chiefs, they dominated the AFC runners-up in a 31-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. A lot went right for the Chiefs in their season opener, but one glaring weak spot was Patrick Mahomes passing stats.

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Colts vs Chiefs Game Odds:

Indianapolis Colts: +6.5 / Moneyline: +230

Kansas City Chiefs: -6.5 / Moneyline: -285

Over/Under: 46.5

Indianapolis Colts Game Preview

The Colts were outgained by more than 250 yards last week in front of their home fans, while also losing the turnover battle, and they had the ball for less than 25 minutes. Daniel Jones had a middling performance as he managed to throw for 166 yards, recording one touchdown. Taylor was able to average over five yards per carry, and he added two more touchdowns on the ground, though he did fumble the ball away. The defense was really shaky. Lamar Jackson threw for over 300 yards, and the Ravens totaled 202 yards on the ground. They gave up two 50+ yard pass plays with another big 32 yard round given up to Derrick Henry.

If the Colts want a chance to win this game on Sunday night, they have to limit the big plays and shut down the run. Mahomes didn’t look great against the Broncos. However, as he continues to get healthier and healthier, the big playmaker is bound to get hot. Indianapolis will need to focus on winning the ground game by containing Walker and getting Taylor going early and often as they look to control the clock. The Colts are making one adjustment, and that is switching defensive communication responsibilities to linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither as they look to sure up the defensive unit ahead of this game.

Indianapolis Colts 3 Keys to Victory

Contain Kenneth Walker III
Establish the run game and avoid third and long situations
Take advantage of Kansas City’s offensive line woes]

Indianapolis Colts Injuries

RB DJ Giddens – Questionable

Kansas City Chiefs Game Preview

The Chiefs were completely dominant against the Broncos to open their season. They outgained the Broncos by 216 yards, and their defense held Denver to just 176 yards total. The Chiefs shut down the Broncos on third down as Denver converted just two of 12 3rd down tries. The biggest statistic from last week’s game was the fact that the Chiefs held Bo Nix to just 3.6 yards per pass. Walker dominated for the offense as he averaged 7.5 yards per carry, finishing with 173 yards and one rushing touchdown. He also added a receiving touchdown. Mahomes was far from elite, but he didn’t have to be thanks to the dominant performance from his running back. Mahomes completed just 15 of 27 passes for 184 yards, with over a third of his passing yards coming on two big plays to Travis Kelce and Emmett Johnson.

The Chiefs will look to continue their dominating ways against a lesser opponent in the Colts. The Indianapolis defense wont be able to contain the Chiefs offense, especially if Mahomes gets going. Daniel Jones will really need to step up his performance when called upon in order to open up the ground game for Taylor, as Kansas City is honing in on the run game.

Kansas City Chiefs 3 Keys to Victory

Let Kenneth Walker III wear down the Colts defense
Force Daniel Jones to beat you in the air
Get Mahomes going in the air

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

DT Chris Jones – Questionable

CB Mansoor Delane – Questionable

Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs Sunday Night Football Game Predictions

This is lining up to be another blowout performance for both teams. The Colts are going to have the worst point differential in the league heading into Week 3 after this one. They are already down 18 points after last week, and the Chiefs should be primed to hand them their second straight blow out to start the season. Kansas City should have no issues getting the run game going, and if Mahomes can take a step forward the offense should really open up. The Chiefs secondary showed no signs of slowing down even after the offseason departures after suffocating Nix last weekend, expect the same thing this weekend. Kansas City wins this one big.

My Pick: Kansas City Chiefs, -6.5 / Under 46.5

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Start:	September 20, 2026 @ 10:00 PM
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Sunday Night Football Picks: Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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