The Kansas City Chiefs don’t often enter Week 12 at .500, but that’s exactly where they stand at 5–5, fresh off a frustrating divisional loss to the Denver Broncos.
And quickly, the urgency—a little bit of desperation—has arrived for Andy Reid's group now in mid-November.
Taking a peek around the conference, [the AFC playoff picture](https://arrowheadaddict.com/updated-afc-playoff-picture-after-chiefs-blow-a-chance-to-beat-the-broncos-01ka7m7w0yp2) is tightening by the week, the margin for error is shrinking, and Sunday's matchup against the 8–2 Indianapolis Colts offers both the challenge and the opportunity Kansas City usually has thrived in.
And if the Chiefs are going to climb above .500 and stay alive in the AFC race, it starts—not with Patrick Mahomes, not with offensive fireworks—but with their pass rush.
The Chiefs' pass rush simply has to get home against the Colts if they're going to turn the corner from their losing ways.
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Yes, Jonathan Taylor is the headliner for Indianapolis. Yes, he can erase game plans with 150 yards and two touchdowns before you blink. But the real key to flipping the matchup is shrinking the pocket on Daniel Jones and attacking the structure of the Colts' offense at its core.
This fall, Kansas City’s defensive front has quietly been one of the more active and disruptive units in football despite the team’s record. George Karlaftis has taken a significant leap, leading the way with 50 pressures and six sacks, consistently converting power and effort into real disruption. Chris Jones, even as teams continue to slide protection his way on nearly every down, still sits at 35 pressures and three sacks, altering throwing lanes and forcing quarterbacks off their marks.
The rotation behind them hasn’t been quiet either—Charles Omenihu has added 21 pressures, Nick Bolton has chipped in with 14, and rookie Ashton Gillotte has produced 12 pressures and a sack, proving he belongs as a first-year rotational piece.
That depth matters enormously against a Colts offense that thrives on timing, rhythm, and the presence of Jonathan Taylor. If the Chiefs can hold Taylor in check on early downs—limiting his ability to create second-and-3 situations—everything changes.
Long down-and-distances force Indianapolis into predictable passing looks, taking away the play-action and RPO layers that have made their offense dangerous. The moment you remove that ambiguity, your pass rush becomes a scalpel instead of a hammer.
That’s when Kansas City can turn Karlaftis loose on wide-track rushes (nine-technique). That’s when Jones can line up anywhere from the A-gap to the outside shoulder (5-tech) and wreck protection. That’s when Omenihu’s length and Bolton’s blitz timing as a twister create internal strain.
And most importantly, that’s when Daniel Jones becomes the player Indianapolis does _not_ want to rely on to carry them.
Jones is athletic, experienced, and capable of hitting downfield shots to Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr., or rookie tight end Tyler Warren, sure, but he is also prone to turnover-worthy decisions when forced to play from behind the sticks. He's improved this year, absolutely, but let's not get overzealous here and ignore year after year of bad tape that has littered his career.
Compress the pocket, muddy his reads, take away his comfort—and suddenly he’s throwing late, drifting under pressure, or trying to make a hero play that isn’t there, nor does he have the skill set to execute.
On Sunday, the Chiefs don’t need their pass rush to be elite; they need it to be relentless. If Kansas City wins the trenches early, limits Taylor, and attacks Daniel Jones with consistency and variance, they give themselves a shot to walk out of Arrowhead at 6–5 and back in control of their playoff path.