t on the line Indianapolis Colts T-Shirts , and by the time they kick off, they may be playing for the division title. That’s a pretty impressive swing for a Colts team that was facing an embarrassing 1-5 record and the prospect of a top draft pick back in Week 6. Head coach Frank Reich and company righted the ship and have guided this team to a complete turnaround, putting together a run that makes this team one no one wants any part of in the playoffs. With all that said, they still need a win to make those playoff hopes possible, and that means showing up and winning their match-ups on Sunday night against the Titans. Here are the key match-ups to watch in that game.T.Y. Hilton vs Adoree JacksonPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesOver the past 7 games, T.Y. Hilton has been on fire, amassing 48 receptions and 856 yards. He topped 125 yards in 4 of those games and his 155-yard 2-TD romp against the Titans was the game that really got it all rolling. Despite being perpetually hurt this season and missing practices entirely for a couple weeks, Hilton has somehow managed to put together a stretch of incredible football that has served to underline just how valuable he is to this Colts team. He compared this game to a game 7 and said “You know I ain’t missing that,” in reference to whether he would be able to play this week. Adoree Jackson had been having a very solid year in pass coverage before he ran afoul of Hilton, and he will undoubtedly have done a lot of film study on the slippery receiver. The question is, will it matter? The Titans will be without CB Logan Ryan who was lost for the season with a broken fibula, which puts even more pressure on Jackson. If this game goes like the first, Hilton is due another big game.Anthony Walker vs Derrick HenryPhoto by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesDerrick Henry has been on a tear over the past three games. As Chris Shepherd points out in his scouting report, Henry is running more decisively than perhaps he has in his NFL career. He is a big man and can damage teams when he gets rolling. His 99-yard run against the Jaguars is one of the most impressive runs I’ve ever seen. Having said all that, he will face a tough challenge against our stiff Colts’ defense. This team has limited backs and been a solid team against the run all season long, and this will be a battle of strengths. The Colts have a solid defensive line and with Anthony Walker’s return, a very good linebacker group. Anthony Walker has been a key part of the team’s run defense, and limiting Derrick Henry’s effectiveness, specifically in terms of getting to the edge, will likely be tasked largely to him. If the Colts can get a lead early and limit big plays from Henry, they will likely force the Titans to become one dimensional in their efforts, which will allow them to do what they love to do, pin their ears back and get after whichever guy starts under center for the Titans on Sunday.Marlon Mack vs Titans run defensePhoto by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesThe Colts may be without Ryan Kelly on Sunday as he hasn’t practiced this week with a neck injury. While Evan Boehm has been a solid backup, his loss hurts in the running game. The Titans are a stiff run defense anyway, but with the loss of Jurrell Casey to IR, they may not be unbeatable. It will be critical to this match-up to test themselves and see how they can match up against a talented defensive front seven. Marlon Mack has had a solid year over all, but the Colts would love to see him finish the regular season strong with a big statement performance. Given the offensive line’s injuries, that will mean making decisive reads, hitting the holes he gets, and running hard through contact. Mack has shown at times the ability to do all those things. If he can do that on Sunday night it will give the offense a ton of options and open the playbook up against a Titans defense that has been a reliable unit on the year. There are many people who think Mack cannot provide the long-term answer at running back for this Colts team. Sunday night is a chance for Mack to prove he is more than he gets credit for. Pierre Desir vs Corey DavisPhoto by Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesThe Colts have gotten better and better at the cornerback position as the year has progressed. The young unit has developed and grown, and are playing far better football than they were early in the season. Pierre Desir has perhaps had the best run of them https://www.coltsfanshop.com/hats , matching up with some very talented receivers and holding them well in check. DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper both struggled to make much headway against him, and the Colts will want the same performance from him against Davis, who is the Titans’ most dangerous receiver.Regardless of the quarterback throwing the ball, Davis provides a deep threat that the Titans will need to utilize if they want to keep up with the Colts’ offense, and limiting his production will mean seriously handicapping the Titans offense. If he can knock him off rhythm and throw off the timing on routes, it could give the defensive line enough time to get to the quarterback and force a sack or critical turnover. Frank Reich vs Mike Vrabel Round 2Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesFrank Reich is .500 in rematches as a head coach. He lost an ugly game against the Jaguars and won a big one against the Texans. Divisional match-ups between teams tend to be closer than we feel like they should, regardless of the level of play prior to those games. These Coaching staffs have had a chance to see each other and analyze each other’s personnel and tendencies a bit more frequently than others. That leaves us the question, how will Reich fare in his rematch with Vrabel? The first game was expertly called. The defense was well prepared for the Titans and the Colts offense went off, abusing Adoree Jackson and basically doing whatever they wanted on the way to a major blowout. Vrabel had few answers. Having said that, the Titans lost their defensive coordinator Dean Pees who was hospitalized during the first half of the last game. That is a kind of adversity few teams have to face, and it no doubt played a major role in the way the defense was called and how the game went. That, hopefully, won’t be the case on Sunday, as the Titans will be fully staffed and ready to go.What difference will it make to have their coaching staff whole and ready to go? We won’t know until the game is under way. It will be interesting to see how this plan differs from the first go around. Given Hilton’s hot streak, it is tough to see not using him heavily, especially with Ebron still a question mark in concussion protocol. Frank Reich is about to coach his biggest game of the season, and it is time to find out what he’s got. KANSAS CITY, Mo. 鈥?The Kansas City Chiefs didn't draft Patrick Mahomes merely to make the playoffs.Matt Cassel accomplished that, and quarterbacks Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, Trent Green and Alex Smith went one better by making it to the divisional round. Smith even won a wild-card game, the first playoff victory by the long-suffering Chiefs since Joe Montana led them to the AFC title game in the 1993 season.No, the Chiefs didn't trade up to select Mahomes just to make the playoffs.They did it to win in the playoffs.Now, Mahomes gets his first chance when the first-year starter leads the AFC West champions against the Colts 鈥?their longtime playoff nemesis 鈥?on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.Win and the young All-Pro quarterback has the Chiefs one game away from playing in the Super Bowl. Lose and Mahomes must wait a full year to get another crack at wiping away the stink of all those playoff failures."A playoff run in general would mean a ton to everyone in this community, including us. I know the history," Mahomes said, "but at the same time, we are a different generation."That may be true, but he was on the sideline last season for the latest postseason letdown.Mahomes was given his freshman season to learn the ropes under Smith, who ended a Chiefs streak of eight straight playoff defeats by beating Houston in the wild-card round in January 2016. But they lost the following week at New England to end their playoff run, then lost at home to the Steelers in the divisional round in 2017 and blew a big lead at home against the Titans in the wild-card round a year ago.Three defeats after that rarest of playoff wins.The sting has been even more brutal at Arrowhead Stadium Indianapolis Colts Hoodie , where the Colts have won just as many playoff games as the Chiefs (two apiece) over the years. Both of the Chiefs' wins were in the wild-card round.They've never won a home playoff game in the divisional round or beyond.Yet if there's any reason to believe that stretch of futility will end Saturday, it just may be the optimistic kid with the big arm and curly Mohawk. Bono, Grbac and the rest never put up the kind of numbers that Mahomes has this season, nor did they engender the same kind of confidence in their teams.Mahomes exudes poise. And the rest of the Chiefs can feel it."It's the way he plays," Chiefs center Mitch Morse said recently. "Not only his talent, which is uncanny, but the way he prepares, the way he conducts himself in the huddle, and then the guy has got a swagger about him that's infectious."There is no denying this is a new experience, though. Mahomes played in only one bowl game in three seasons at Texas Tech, which would be the only thing even remotely close to an NFL playoff game with the entire football world watching."So far I haven't seen anything that's too big for Pat. I'm not even worried about that," coach Andy Reid said Monday, just before the Chiefs resumed practicing following a well-earned week off."He's going to get himself ready, just like he does every week, to play against a good football team," Reid said. "But I don't think he's wired the other way. I'm not predicting anything, I'm just telling you, matter of fact, how he's wired, how he goes about his business."That doesn't mean Reid hasn't pulled him aside for a few extra chats."Everything is a little faster in the playoffs. That's how things go," Reid said. "At the same time, he has to be himself and continue to lead and play like he has been doing. I don't think he will have a problem with that. I think he understands that. He is wired the right way to handle all of it."Mahomes said he's chatted with Smith about his postseason experience, and he's soaked up what he can from the veterans in his locker room. Defensive back Ron Parker, linebacker Justin Houston and fullback Anthony Sherman are among those who have been part of several postseason letdowns.As they take the field with Mahomes on Saturday, they have a chance to scribble over that history."I mean, we are definitely ready. We know what it's going to take," Mahomes said. "It's going to take a full effort from everyone, every single day, to the game and hopefully on. We know that you have to capitalize on every single play. You can't let one play get you down for the next. The next play is the most important play. We are excited we get the chance to do that."100View Gallery Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta