The NFL post-season officially begins Saturday with two fascinating wild card matchups.
The Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs will face off for the second time in the past three weeks while the high-powered New Orleans Saints will see Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time this year.
Here are the five things you need to know about each Saturday game:
Chiefs (11-5) at Colts (11-5)
(Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET)
Can Chiefs play with the contenders?
As impressive as Andy Reid’s first season in Kansas City was, it’s hard to ignore that the Chiefs picked up 10 of their 11 wins against non-playoff teams. In fact, they failed to win any of their five matchups against AFC playoff teams (they allowed 30.6 points per game in those five contests). That included a 23-7 home loss to the Colts two weeks ago, where Kansas City was overmatched on both sides of the ball. The only victory Reid’s squad picked up against a team that finished above .500 came in a 26-16 week 3 win against the Eagles.
Post-season struggles
The Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game in 20 years. Their last post-season victory came when Joe Montana led a fourth-quarter comeback with three touchdowns against the Houston Oilers in the divisional round in 1993. Since then Kansas City has lost their last seven playoff contests, including three losses to Indianapolis over that span (1995, 2003, 2006). The Colts, on the other hand, have lost three straight playoff games, including last season’s 24-9 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens on wild card weekend.
Colts’ secret weapon
When Reggie Wayne was lost for the season with a knee injury, the Colts had serious trouble filling the void at wide receiver. But over the past three weeks a new weapon has emerged for Indianapolis in the passing game. As a matter of fact, the Colts have yet to lose a game since activating Griff Whalen from the practice squad on Dec. 14. Whalen, a teammate of Andrew Luck from Stanford, has 15 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns since becoming a starter in Week 15, including the best game of his career in two weeks ago against Kansas City with seven catches for 80 yards.
Charles in charge
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano has called Jamaal Charles “enemy No. 1” heading into this matchup. That’s no surprise considering Charles’ success against Indianapolis over the past two seasons. Charles has averaged an astounding 9.25 yards per carry en route to 332 yards and two touchdowns during his last two games against the Colts. The Chiefs’ best chance to win Saturday is to get the ball to Charles, who finished third in the league in rushing in 2013, as much as possible. “If he doesn’t touch the ball 30 times, I’d be shocked.” Pagano told reporters this week.
Injury concerns loom for KC
Rookie right tackle Eric Fisher will not play and the status of star defensive end Tamba Hali remains up in the air. Hali has been listed as questionable after missing the past few days of practice. Hali missed last Sunday’s game due to swelling in his knee and the Chiefs would have difficulty replacing his pass rushing prowess if he is unable to suit up against an Indianapolis offensive line that has struggled to protect Andrew Luck. The Chiefs will have trouble pressuring Luck if they do not have the duo of Hali (11.0 sacks) and Justin Houston (11.0 sacks) on the field.
Saints(11-5) at Eagles(10-6)
(Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET)
Road woes for Saints
New Orleans has not been the same team away from the Superdome this season. They dropped five of their past six road games (3-5 in total) and scored an average of 16 fewer points on the road than they did at home in the regular season. That includes a record of 2-4 in outdoor games. Their turnover ratio flipped from plus-six at home to a minus-six while on the road. The Saints were outscored 78-36 in their final three road contests and and are 0-5 all-time in playoff games away from the Superdome.
Offence galore
Chip Kelly and Sean Payton are two of the brightest offensive minds in the sport. Saturday will feature two of the most potest passing attacks in the league as quarterbacks Drew Brees and Nick Foles ranked in the top-10 in touchdown passes and yards per attempt. New Orleans averaged close to 400 yards (399.4) per game in the regular season while the Eagles averaged 420 yards per game. It would be safe to expect a shootout.
How will Terron Armstead fare?
The left tackle for the Saints has been a problematic spot all season long. Jermon Bushrod was never adequately replaced after signing a free agent deal with Chicago last March. Now, the Saints are left with third-round rookie Terron Armstead to protect Drew Brees in the biggest game of their season. Armstead bounced back after a disastrous first start against Carolina in week 16 where he was abused by Carolina’s Greg Hardy. This week he has the task of going up against Trent Cole, who is the best Eagles’ pass rusher.
The Real McCoy
The toughest test for New Orleans will be stopping electric running back LeSean McCoy. That won’t be easy for a defence that ranked 19th against the run, allowing 111.6 yards per game. McCoy was the league’s leading rusher with a total of 1,609 yards in the regular season and was part of an Eagles group that averaged 170.4 rushing yards per game after week 9. The Saints have gone 3-4 in games in which they have allowed more than 100 yards on the ground.
Gutsy head coaches
Kelly and Payton aren’t just offensive masterminds but two of the most innovative and risk taking coaches in the league. Kelly routinely defies conventional logic and has shown a willingness to go for it on fourth-downs. He did just that in last Sunday’s do-or-die game against Dallas. Payton is the same way and may be best known for the onside kick he called at the start of the second half in the Super Bowl against the Colts a few years ago. Don’t be surprised to see some trick plays or a few surprising wrinkles when these two meet up Saturday.
