Chiefs use all 70 minutes to break Colts down in OT epic

The final game of Sunday’s 14-strong slate saw the Kansas City Chiefs host the Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium in primetime. The Chiefs put their best foot forward to open their season as they seek a return to Super Bowl contention.

As for the Colts, they were taught a lesson by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, leading them to enter as sizeable underdogs against Andy Reid and his team.

Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis offense did what all road underdogs seek to, compiling a consistent drive down the field to begin the game and capping it off with a wide-open touchdown to Tyler Warren as they took the early lead.

Kenneth Walker III picked up immediately where he left off in his magnificent Kansas City debut, breaking open a 20-yard run on the Chiefs’ first offensive play, though they were unable to match the Colts’ first drive outcome, settling for a field goal from Harrison Butker.

The Chiefs’ defense, perhaps given some words of encouragement by Steve Spagnuolo after their first possession, turned up the heat on Jones, as Kristian Fulton swooped to claim an interception deep in Colts territory, meaning Patrick Mahomes needed just 2 plays to find a touchdown, linking up with Travis Kelce for the 81st time in their illustrious careers to take the lead.

The Colts remained calm despite facing adversity, especially after losing control of their game last week very quickly, putting together back-to-back field goal drives, with a missed kick from Harrison Butker sandwiched in between.

Mahomes looked at his very best on the ensuing drive, which lasted over 7 minutes, picking apart the defense with a few inch-perfect throws, and eventually hitting Xavier Worthy in stride on an out-route in the end zone.

Indianapolis once again took backwards steps, proving that they were up for the challenge as they turned a 2-minute drill into 80 seconds, thanks to a couple of explosive plays, including a 24-yard run for Jonathan Taylor’s first score of the night, as they took an unlikely 20-17 lead into the main break.

Tyquan Thornton gave the Chiefs a spark out of halftime, pulling in a contested catch that brought his team down to the goal line once again, where, after Walker III was stuffed on 3 consecutive attempts, Kansas City got creative to get Jalen Royals his first NFL touchdown, giving the game its 6th lead change in the process.

After Butker opened the final period with his second field goal to bring the lead out to one touchdown, the Colts’ most important drive of the night lasted 14 plays across almost 9 minutes, as Taylor did what he does best, finding the end zone from short yardage as the game found itself tied once again.

Both teams had opportunities to produce a game-winning drive by getting into range for a field goal attempt, but neither were successful, as they headed to overtime – the 3rd time the league had required extra play in the first couple of weeks.

The Colts elected to defer their possession, giving the masters of overtime football in recent years the first chance to put up points.

They did just that, but in the form of another field goal from Butker, leaving the door open for the Colts to at least tie or potentially win the game as they took over.

Controversy struck immediately, as a deep ball completion to Laquon Treadwell looked to have resulted in a game-ending fumble to hand Kansas City the win, but replay assist cut their celebrations short, as the receiver was ruled down by contact, ultimately setting the Colts up in the red zone with a premium opportunity to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

But the game continued right into the depths of overtime, as they had to settle for 3 points of their own from Spencer Shrader, who kicked a game-winning field goal as a member of the Chiefs back in 2024.

After the teams had traded blows to begin additional time, the Chiefs’ recipience of the overtime kickoff looked set to paid dividends as they entered a next-score-wins scenario. Kansas City worked through Walker III on the ground, eventually getting well within the range of Butker, who converted from 40 yards as the Chiefs won their 8th successive overtime game.

Touchdowns
Indianapolis: Taylor 2, Warren
Kansas City: Worthy, Kelce, Royals

Top Performers
Indianapolis: Taylor, Downs, Davis-Gaither, Buckner
Kansas City: Mahomes, Kelce, Walker III, Fulton, Tranquill, Butker

Injuries
Indianapolis: Pierce (heel), Gardner (ribs), Ward (groin)
Kansas City: N/A

Crowd: 73,351 at Arrowhead Stadium