Expect a sense of deja vu today as you watch AFC Wild- Card game online free between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. Today’s game is a rematch of a Week 16 matchup that the Colts dominated from start to finish and won 23-7. The Chiefs will be more prepared for their AFC Wild-Card game rematch as they look for their first win over the Colts in their past four attempts. If you can’t watch the game live on NBC, you can watch Chiefs vs Colts online free AFC Wild Card game live streaming using a few different services.
Just two weeks ago, the Indianapolis offense overwhelmed Kansas City’s once-stout defense. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw for 241 yards in the Colts’ 23-7 win. His top target was wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, the AFC’s eighth-leading receiver this year with 1,083 yards. The Indianapolis defense also managed to slow Kansas City, holding the Chiefs to just 287 yards, Kansas City’s third-lowest output of the season.
The Chiefs hope their Cinderella season doesn’t end with today’s AFC Wild-Card game representing midnight. Head coach Andy Reid, cast aside by the Philadelphia Eagles last year, has taken Kansas City from a 2-14 cellar dweller to today’s Chiefs game in which they enter with an 11-3 record. That represents the biggest turnaround in NFL history based on winning percentage. And as you watch Chiefs vs Colts online free AFC Wild Card game live streaming, Kansas City will be looking for its first playoff win in 20 years.
Reid didn’t pull off the turnaround alone, helped by a similarly cast-aside pro named Alex Smith. The Chiefs acquired Smith from San Francisco when the 49ers named Colin Kaepernick their starting QB last season. That’s worked out well for San Francisco, but few would say Kansas City didn’t get a deal as well. Smith this season completed 308 of 508 passes for 3,313 yards and 23 touchdowns even without playing in Sunday’s Week 17 season finale against the San Diego Chargers.
Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck had a solid season too. After throwing for 282 yards in Sunday’s 30-10 win over the Jaguars, Luck become the first player in NFL history to pass for more than 8,000 yards in his first two NFL seasons. That milestone was a fitting conclusion to a season that saw Luck lead the Colts to wins over Peyton Manning and the Broncos, Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers, and Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.
Still, Chiefs QB Smith leads the NFL’s sixth highest-scoring offense and will look for a different outcome this time. So will all-pro running back Jamaal Charles, who’s the biggest key for Kansas City in today’s AFC Wild Card game. Charles led all AFC running backs this year in yardage and touchdowns scored. The last time the Chiefs and Colts met, in Week 16, Charles rushed for 106 yards and the Chief’s sole touchdown.
The Kansas City Chiefs need both Smith and Charles to deliver in today’s Colts game, because their defense has gotten progressively worse. The Chiefs spent much of the early 2013 season with one of the top-rated defenses. For the past six weeks that defense has struggled, particularly against the passing game. That will be a vital fix for today’s Colts game against Andrew Luck if the Chiefs expect to advance past the AFC Wild-Card game.
Unlike other wild-card games this weekend, the weather in today’s Chiefs/Colts game won’t be a factor. Kickoff is scheduled for the balmy interior environment of Lucas Oil Stadium at 4:35 EST / 1:35 PST on NBC. You can watch Chiefs vs Colts online free AFC Wild Card game live streaming on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket with their Max package. You’ll need to have the NFL Sunday Ticket Package, which requires a subscription, but anyone who has a subscription can watch the live streaming version free of any game, including today’s AFC Wild-Card playoff game on NBC between the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts.
