Chiefs at Colts

The Kansas City Chiefs will travel to Indianapolis to face the Indianapolis Colts this Saturday in an exciting playoff game beginning at 2:30 Mountain time and broadcast on the NBC television network.

The passing games of both teams could shred through the other’s defense. This game should feature the No. 1 and No. 2-rated passers in the league. Yet it won’t.

The Broncos won the Super Bowl after the 1997 season. (And don't you forget it.) In the season opener that year, the Broncos faced Kansas City and veteran quarterback Elvis Grbac, who’d been a backup on some powerful San Francisco teams. The Broncos beat the Chiefs. For the divisional rematch Grbac was injured, so the Chiefs started then-unknown quarterback Rich Gannon, who ran, passed, and rallied the Chiefs to a late victory. In fact, Gannon played so well in Grbac’s absence that many K.C. fans felt the team should stick with Gannon once Grbac was healthy. The Chiefs, though, decided to play Grbac in the playoffs, where they had home-field advantage. The Chiefs faced the Broncos for a third time in Kansas City’s first playoff game. Behind Grbac, they lost again. So, to recap: when the Chiefs went with the better-performing but lesser-known backup, they beat the Super Bowl champs. When they started the inferior but “proven” veteran, they went home early.

This year, Chiefs starter Trent Green, who had been a backup on some powerful St. Louis teams, missed time due to injury. His backup, Damon Huard, threw for eleven touchdowns and one interception in Green’s absence. In fact, only Peyton Manning had a better quarterback rating than Huard this year. Many Chiefs fans feel the team should stick with Huard even though Green is healthy, going as far as booing Green at home Sunday. However, the Chiefs will start Green in Saturday’s game. These two scenarios are in no way related.

Stars: Peyton Manning vs. Larry Johnson. Manning had another consistenly terrific year, but nothing is more consistent than his playoff performance. Larry Johnson set an NFL record for carries this season, but somehow didn’t win the rushing title. In other words, both teams have special offensive talents, but neither quite lives up to that best-in-the-league billing. (Everyone’s a Tomlinson convert at running back now, but before the season people acted like it was a toss-up.) Both are facing defenses ill-suited to stop them. Johnson will have an easier time against the Colts D than Manning will against the Chiefs, though. The Colts gave up more than five yards per carry this year to opposing runners. Of course, Manning is no stranger to preying on the weak himself, but the Chiefs do feature Manning’s old friend at corner, Ty Law.

One advantage for the Colts: the game will be on turf, which we all know magically helps the home team’s skill players outrun opponents, who remain at grass-speed.

I pick the Colts to win a high-scoring game, mostly on the strength of home-field advantage. However, this is the game I’m least certain about. (If Huard was starting, I’d go with Kansas City.) The Colts are due for a letdown, and the Chiefs can run all over them. Man. What do you think?