Donger
01-05-2007, 05:28 PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/don_banks/01/05/playoff.lookahead/index.html?cnn=yes
Chiefs at Colts, Sat., 4:30 p.m. ET
• Numbers to know: Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has rushed for 419 yards and three touchdowns in winning all three times he has played in a dome.
• The angle to pay attention to: Will the Colts be able to score enough early to force the Chiefs out of their running game? You might have heard, Indy's run defense is the worst in the league, giving up 173 yards per game.
• The tidbit: Based on how they entered Week 17, the Chiefs are the surprise entry in this year's playoffs. They're the No. 6 seed in the AFC. And you know who held that slot last year. It was Pittsburgh's launching pad to a Super Bowl title.
• The coaching front: The Colts' Tony Dungy and the Chiefs' Herman Edwards are great friends, with Edwards serving as Dungy's assistant head coach/secondary coach in Tampa Bay from 1996 to 2000. They're also two of the six black head coaches who worked in the NFL in 2006 (Dennis Green and Art Shell have been fired). Dungy is in his 11th consecutive season as a head coach, with Edwards in his sixth.
• The buzz: Will Edwards bench starting quarterback Trent Green for backup Damon Huard if Green continues to struggle with turnovers? He says he will, but he wasn't willing to do so in a huge Week 14 game at home against Baltimore, which the Chiefs lost.
• The next household name: Joseph Addai didn't get any votes in the NFL's offensive rookie of the year balloting, but he did lead all rookie rushers with 1,081 yards (4.8 per carry), adding seven touchdowns.
• The X Factor: If Colts safety Bob Sanders (right knee) returns with a vengeance in terms of his usual punishing brand of run support, Indy's beleaguered defense might get a much-needed boost against Johnson and the K.C. rushing attack.
• Most memorable encounter: Three years ago, the Colts and Chiefs played a shootout of a divisional-round playoff at K.C.'s Arrowhead Stadium in which neither team punted. The No. 3-seeded Colts prevailed 38-31, upsetting the No. 2-seeded Chiefs. Kansas City never led in the game, even though it answered Indy scores five times
• The momentum rating: On a scale of 1-10, the Chiefs get a 5. They won their final two games, but had dropped three in a row before that to almost eliminate themselves. Give the Colts a shaky 4. Indy is 8-0 at home this year, but dropped its final four road games, and three out of five overall down the stretch.
• My pick: The Chiefs vaunted running game can't hurt the Colts quite so much if Peyton Manning and Co. jump out to a sizable early lead. Colts 27, Chiefs 17
Chiefs at Colts, Sat., 4:30 p.m. ET
• Numbers to know: Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has rushed for 419 yards and three touchdowns in winning all three times he has played in a dome.
• The angle to pay attention to: Will the Colts be able to score enough early to force the Chiefs out of their running game? You might have heard, Indy's run defense is the worst in the league, giving up 173 yards per game.
• The tidbit: Based on how they entered Week 17, the Chiefs are the surprise entry in this year's playoffs. They're the No. 6 seed in the AFC. And you know who held that slot last year. It was Pittsburgh's launching pad to a Super Bowl title.
• The coaching front: The Colts' Tony Dungy and the Chiefs' Herman Edwards are great friends, with Edwards serving as Dungy's assistant head coach/secondary coach in Tampa Bay from 1996 to 2000. They're also two of the six black head coaches who worked in the NFL in 2006 (Dennis Green and Art Shell have been fired). Dungy is in his 11th consecutive season as a head coach, with Edwards in his sixth.
• The buzz: Will Edwards bench starting quarterback Trent Green for backup Damon Huard if Green continues to struggle with turnovers? He says he will, but he wasn't willing to do so in a huge Week 14 game at home against Baltimore, which the Chiefs lost.
• The next household name: Joseph Addai didn't get any votes in the NFL's offensive rookie of the year balloting, but he did lead all rookie rushers with 1,081 yards (4.8 per carry), adding seven touchdowns.
• The X Factor: If Colts safety Bob Sanders (right knee) returns with a vengeance in terms of his usual punishing brand of run support, Indy's beleaguered defense might get a much-needed boost against Johnson and the K.C. rushing attack.
• Most memorable encounter: Three years ago, the Colts and Chiefs played a shootout of a divisional-round playoff at K.C.'s Arrowhead Stadium in which neither team punted. The No. 3-seeded Colts prevailed 38-31, upsetting the No. 2-seeded Chiefs. Kansas City never led in the game, even though it answered Indy scores five times
• The momentum rating: On a scale of 1-10, the Chiefs get a 5. They won their final two games, but had dropped three in a row before that to almost eliminate themselves. Give the Colts a shaky 4. Indy is 8-0 at home this year, but dropped its final four road games, and three out of five overall down the stretch.
• My pick: The Chiefs vaunted running game can't hurt the Colts quite so much if Peyton Manning and Co. jump out to a sizable early lead. Colts 27, Chiefs 17