Colts Just Gave the Entire NFL the Game Plan to Slow Down Kansas City

For the first few weeks of the NFL season, the battle for the AFC was looking like a two-team race. Both the Patriots and the Chiefs started off 4-0, and there didn't seem to be any team that would get in their way.

And while the Patriots are still looking like a powerhouse after their Week 5 blowout of the Redskins, the Chiefs got heavily exposed in an ugly loss to the Colts.

The most shocking part of the loss had to be the ineffectiveness of Kansas City's offense, as they were held to 13 points, the fewest in games in which Pat Mahomes started at quarterback. He was decent, throwing for 321 yards to give him a QBR of 58, but the Colts' defense absolutely shut down the Chiefs running game, as they were held to an abysmal 36 yards on 2.6 yards per carry.

The method for the Colts success? Well, it's not as complicated as you'd think. Rather than run zone defenses against the Chiefs, Indy decided to go utilize man coverage, and boy did it pay off.

KC's leading receiver in the game was... Byron Pringle, who caught six receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown. Travis Kelce? Well, he made four receptions, but failed to pick up a yard.

We saw the Lions cause trouble for KC with their man coverage, and the Colts followed suit with a similar strategy, but managed to execute.

Now, the rest of the league will look to pick up where Indy left off, and hope they can exploit the Chiefs' struggles against man coverage. Of course, the Chiefs will likely improve in that facet once Tyreek Hill is healthy, but for now this seems an effective strategy.