Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts Prediction: Will Patrick Mahomes Reverse KC's Playoff Fortunes?

Two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL will try to outscore each other on Saturday afternoon in Kansas City. The top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs will host the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round of the playoffs and all statistical evidence points to this game being a shootout.

The Chiefs put together the third most prolific offense in NFL history in 2018, scoring a total of 565 points on the year. The only two teams to do better than that were the 2007 New England Patriots and the 2013 Denver Broncos; both teams made it to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will likely be the league MVP at the end of the day, after throwing for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.

The Colts, meanwhile, have won 10 of their last 11 and just throttled the division rival Houston Texans on the road. Quarterback Andrew Luck will probably win Comeback Player of the Year after putting together an excellent campaign following a long absence due to injury. He finished second in the league in touchdown passes behind Mahomes, with 39.

This will likely be a high-scoring affair because teams have trouble stopping the Chiefs from scoring, and the Chiefs have trouble stopping teams from scoring. Kansas City’s defense ranks near the bottom of the league in total yards, points, passing yards and rushing yards.

Just about the only thing the Chiefs defense does well is rush the passer, as they finished tied for best in the league in sacks. The Colts can counter by pointing at their much-improved offensive line, which only gave up 18 sacks all season, good for best in the league. The Chiefs are fifth in that regard, too, so generating pressure will be integral to slowing down these offenses.

Indianapolis can also use that strong offensive line to run the ball effectively with backs like Marlon Mack. They can potentially use their running game to grind out the clock and keep Mahomes off the field.

The Colts defense has been stingy this year, finishing 10th in points per game, but it has not played against an offense as explosive as Kansas City’s. Additionally, it will be without veteran safety Mike Mitchell. He suffered a calf injury against the Texans and is done for the playoffs.

On the other side, Kansas City is hoping starters Sammy Watkins, Spencer Ware and Eric Berry can all contribute. Berry did not practice on Wednesday and is considered questionable for the game.

Prediction: There are plenty of reasons to pick the Colts to pull off the upset. They erased a 38-10 deficit against Andy Reid’s Chiefs and won in the playoffs five years ago, and Kansas City’s shaky defense makes the team appear more vulnerable than the average top seed.

That said, Mahomes has played brilliantly against top competition all year, and the Chiefs have had an extra week of rest. The young quarterback will prove why he deserves to be MVP.

Chiefs win, 38-28