Indianapolis – If NFL playoff football is akin to a chess match, well, suffice it to say, the Indianapolis Colts’ 23-8 AFC wild-card victory over the Kansas City Chiefs was pretty similar to Bobby Fischer or Boris Spassky against that third-grader in the Chess Club.
Perhaps the Chiefs believed they’d be able to run at will on a porous Colts rush defense. But when that didn’t happen, the visitors were befuddled.
“They came out ready to stop the run. You have to have a backup plan for that,” Larry Johnson said after finishing the game with 32 yards on 13 carries. “They knew what we were going to try to do (but) we didn’t have anything to come back with.”
Added tight end Tony Gonzalez on a Chiefs offense that failed to pick up a first down in the opening 30 minutes of play: “It’s embarrassing. That’s ridiculous as far as I’m concerned. I’m going to give them a little bit of credit, but at the same time, I think it was a little predictable on our part.”
The final numbers were so bad, it was indeed hard to ascertain just how much blame should go to Kansas City or how much praise to Indianapolis. If it’s the latter, then a team that seemed to be ripe for an early playoff exit may well be able to accomplish something its more lauded predecessors have been unable to do in recent seasons – make it to the Super Bowl.
“The great thing about the NFL is that every week you have a chance to redefine yourself,” Colts linebacker Gary Brackett said.
Footnote
Before the national anthem there was a moment of silence in honor of slain Broncos defensive back Darrent Williams.
