The Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs started the 2026 NFL season with completely different Week 1 outcomes. Indianapolis got completely humiliated by Baltimore, creating questions about whether or not they can hang with top AFC teams. Meanwhile, Kansas City demolished Denver to get a massive AFC West victory to start the season.
Both teams look like they are going in completely different directions headed into Week 2. But the second week of any season can be a real equalizer. Some teams that lost in Week 1 bounce back in a big way, while incredible teams can come back down to earth.
Will fans be treated with a highly competitive game? Or will this be a one-sided affair that suggests Week 1 was right all along?
Here are three bold predictions ahead of the Week 2 matchup between the Colts and Chiefs.
Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)Daniel Jones, Patrick Mahomes will both double their passing yards compared to Week 1
The Colts and Chiefs have more in common than they might realize headed into Week 2.
Both teams struggled down the stretch in 2025, especially after their respective starting quarterback went down with a season-ending injury. Now both Daniel Jones and Patrick Mahomes are healthy enough to play, but neither is at their full strength.
What if they each took a big step forward in the same game?
This is a difficult matchup to predict, in part because it's hard to know how dangerous each offense will be. For the purposes of this prediction, let's imagine that both Jones and Mahomes recapture the magic from last season's overtime thriller.
Jones and Mahomes will both throw for at least double their passing yards totals from their Week 1 showings. That sounds quite bold, which begs the question is such a feat even possible to accomplish?
Mahomes logged 184 passing yards in Week 1, so he'd need to surpass 368 passing yards to pull this off. Meanwhile, Jones had 166 passing yards last week, putting his minimum at 332 passing yards.
This is absolutely within the realm of possibility, as each player has thrown for more yards in a game. But forÃÂ both players to pull this off, each offense will have to be cooking at maximum efficiency.
Jonathan Taylor rushes for 50 more yards than Kenneth Walker III
This prediction feels a bit like hedging coming after the first prediction. If the first one fails, at least this one has a chance to actually happen.
The Colts never stood a chance in Week 1 once the Ravens got rolling. Most fans probably dismiss the Colts without looking too much into their performance. That is a shame, because Taylor actually had a pretty great debut.
Taylor logged 19 carries for 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. That is a pretty pedestrian stat line for Taylor, who exploded for several games with 100+ rushing yards and multiple touchdowns last season.
He'll be competing with the defending Super Bowl MVP who ripped off 173 rushing yards and a touchdown in the season opener.
Which back will come out of this game looking like the better player?
If the Colts want to be competitive in this game, they need to make Taylor the answer to that question.
Indy is going to sell out to stop Walker and the Kansas City running game. Their best strategy is to force the Chiefs to prove they can win by throwing the ball.
Meanwhile, Daniel Jones was not great in Week 1 so the Colts will probably attempt to establish the run. That is probably a smart move against Kansas City because of their aggressive defense. Although it would be tempting to test their secondary if Mansoor Delane does not play.
Ultimately, Taylor will end up with 50 more rushing yards than Walker in Week 2.
Chiefs crush Colts by at least two touchdowns, log three takeaways
When it comes to which team has the best chance to win this game, there's a clear answer.
The Chiefs have absolutely everything to play for in this game. Kansas City has something to prove after only winning six games last season. They will not accept falling behind against a Colts team like this one.
Meanwhile, Indy would need a minor miracle from their defense to shut down Kansas City long enough to gain a big lead. Yes they have Sauce Gardner and Cam Bynum, but the Colts lack the juice needed to consistently pressure a magician like Mahomes.
This is the NFL so anything could happen. But this smells like a blowout win for the Chiefs.
Kansas City will force at least three turnovers in this game, with one being a strip sack of Daniel Jones. Whenever a team gets that many extra possessions, they tend to win the game. This matchup will be no different.
The Chiefs win this game by at least 14 points, crushing the Colts and dropping them to 0-2 on the season.