KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Peyton Manning has never lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Dick Vermeil is going to have to figure out a way to contain Manning if he plans on leading the Chiefs to their first playoff win in 10 years.
The Indianapolis Colts visit the Chiefs Sunday in an AFC divisional playoff game that promises to be a high-scoring affair.
With six Pro Bowlers leading the way - running back Priest Holmes, quarterback Trent Green, fullback Tony Richardson, tight end Tony Gonzalez, tackle Willie Roaf and guard Will Shields - the Chiefs led the NFL in scoring with 484 points (30.3 per game) this season.
Pro Bowl returner Dante Hall had something to do with that total as well, returning four kicks for touchdowns, although all of those came in the first five weeks of the season.
Holmes set an NFL single-season record with 27 touchdowns and rushed for 1,420 yards. He faces an Indianapolis defense that tied for 20th in the league against the run, yielding 123.8 yards per game.
Green completed 63 percent of his passes for 4,039 yards and 24 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Only Manning passed for more yards with 4,267.
Holmes and Gonzalez are Green's top targets. Holmes caught 74 passes for 690 yards and Gonzalez had 71 receptions for 916 yards and 10 touchdowns.
With Manning at the helm, Indianapolis tied for the second-most points in the league with 447 and faces a Kansas City defense that ranked 29th.
After being named as the NFL's co-Most Valuable Player, Manning busted out with his first playoff win, completing 22-of-26 passes for 377 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-10 rout of Denver last week in the wild card round. He became only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record a perfect passer rating (158.3) in a playoff game and the first in more than 20 years.
A four-time Pro Bowler, Manning is 3-0 against the Chiefs. The last meeting was a 35-28 victory on October 25, 2001 here at Arrowhead Stadium in which Manning completed 19-of-30 for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison caught eight passes for 98 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Last week in the wild card win, Harrison had seven catches for 133 yards, including touchdowns of 46 and 23 yards.
Green threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted three times in the loss to Indianapolis in 2001. Holmes was held to 55 yards on 15 carries and kept out of the end zone and Gonzalez had three catches for 75 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown.
The Colts rushed for 194 yards with Edgerrin James leading the way with 102 yards on 27 carries.
A classic battle in the trenches will feature a pair of Pro Bowlers - Roaf against Colts right end Dwight Freeney, who had 11 sacks this season.
The Chiefs last advanced to the AFC championship game in 1994, but lost at home in their last two divisional playoff games to Denver (14-10) in 1997 and Indianapolis (10-7) in 1995. That was the season the Colts last reached the AFC championship game.
Vermeil is looking to become the first coach to take three different teams to the Super Bowl. He guided the St. Louis Rams to the championship in 1999 and took the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 1980.
Colts coach Tony Dungy last reached a conference championship game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1999 and lost to Vermeil's Rams, 11-6.
The Colts have won the last six meetings from Indianapolis.
