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The Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts will face each other on Sunday and the early keys to the game include the rushing game.
You've got the third ranked rush offense (Chiefs) against the 29th ranked rush defense (Colts) and the 29th ranked rush offense (Colts) against the fifth ranked rush defense (Chiefs).
Yeah, there are some advantages there for the Chiefs.
Here's how things like in the rushing game with six days to go before the game:
When the Chiefs run the ball....
The Chiefs are currently the third ranked rush offense coming off of a bye week. Before the bye week, they were No. 1 in the NFL so clearly to this point they feel they can run the ball.
The Colts on the other hand are the 29th ranked rush defense in the NFL. Their defense is the problem, to this point, and stopping the run is a significant problem.
Bottomline: The Chiefs will have to run the ball effectively to have a chance to win. There's really no other way to put it. They need yards -- lots of 'em -- on the ground.
When the Colts run the ball....
The Colts can't run the ball very well -- or, more accurately, they don't run the ball very well. They're capable of running the ball but why do that when you have Peyton Manning? The Colts likely won't try to run a whole lot on the Chiefs defense.
That's because the Chiefs are currently fifth in the NFL in rushing defense. They have stopped the run, they know how to stop the run and surely that will be part of their game plan against the Colts.