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Chiefs to rely on RB Johnson against Colts

Jan 6, 2007 - 2:31 PM Kansas City (9-7) at Indianapolis (12-4) Saturday 4:30 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - Larry Johnson will try to run through the Indianapolis Colts and keep Peyton Manning off the field.

That's the master plan for coach Herman Edwards when the sixth-seeded Kansas City Chiefs visit the third-seeded Indianapolis Colts in the AFC wild card round Saturday.

Johnson set an NFL single-season record with 416 carries, eclipsing Jamal Anderson's mark of 410 for Atlanta in 1998. He broke his own club record with 1,789 rushing yards, 39 more than last year.

Colts coach Tony Dungy will need to stack the box with linebackers and play the safeties close in order to contain Johnson. Indianapolis ranked last in the NFL against the run, allowing 173 yards a game and a staggering 5.3 yards per carry.

"We've got to get ready for him," Dungy said. "He's a great back. We'll have our hands full."

Kansas City's offensive line features Pro Bowl guards Will Shields and Brian Waters. Both of them will try to open the holes needed for Johnson and the Chiefs to maintain a consistent ball-control attack.

That would limit time of possession for Manning, the only quarterback in NFL history with seven 4,000-yard seasons.

Manning led the NFL with a 101.0 passer rating, completing 65 percent of his passes for 4,397 yards, 31 touchdowns and just with nine interceptions. Pro Bowl targets Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne ranked second and third, respectively, in the AFC in receiving yards.

Harrison became the fourth player in NFL history to catch more than 1,000 passes and finished the season with 95 receptions for 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wayne had 86 catches for 1,310 yards and nine scores.

Veteran cornerbacks Ty Law and Patrick Surtain will match up against Harrison and Wayne. Law intercepted Manning three times in the January 2004 AFC championship game as the New England Patriots posted a 24-14 victory over the Colts.

That was the only trip to the AFC championship game in Manning's nine-year career with the Colts. Last season, Indianapolis was the AFC's top seed but lost in the divisional round to sixth-seeded Pittsburgh, 21-18.

This season, the Colts started 9-0 and appeared headed for another first-round bye. But they lost four of their next six games before closing with a win over Miami. It was not enough to get a week off, forcing Indianapolis to play in the wild card round.

The Chiefs are thrilled to be in the playoffs after failing to make it last year with a 10-6 record in Dick Vermeil's final season as coach.

In Edwards' first year, the Chiefs were 7-4 before losing three in a row to fall into third place in the AFC West. But Kansas City bounced back with two straight wins to end the season and grabbed the last wild card spot when Cincinnati, Tennessee and Denver all lost on the final Sunday.

The Chiefs can draw inspiration from the Steelers, who were a sixth seed in the AFC last year and won three straight road playoff games before beating Seattle in Super Bowl XL.

Ironically, Kansas City's last playoff game was a 38-31 home loss to the Colts in the divisional round in January 2004 as Manning threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns and was masterful throughout.

The two-time MVP made it look easy against the Chiefs, completing 9-of-13 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the first half and 13-of-17 for 161 yards and a score in the second half.

Priest Holmes took advantage of the Colts' porous run defense, rushing for a franchise playoff-record 176 rushing yards and a pair of one-yard TDs.

Indianapolis is in the playoffs for the fifth straight season under Dungy, who is just 3-4 in that stretch, including a 41-0 loss to New York in January 2003 when Edwards coached the Jets.

The Colts enjoyed their first perfect season at home (8-0) since 1958, when the franchise was located in Baltimore and won the NFL title.

If the Colts win, they will meet the second-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. If the Chiefs win, they will face the top-seeded San Diego Chargers in the divisional round.