chiefs beat colts (Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns Sunday night at Arrowhead. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 117 yards. Travis Kelce caught nine passes for 101 yards. The Chiefs won 33-30.
Kansas City needed overtime, a fumble reversal, and Harrison Butker’s right foot to put away an Indianapolis Colts team that had no business keeping this game alive as long as it did. And yet, for long stretches, it felt like the whole thing could fall apart at any moment.
How did the Chiefs almost lose to an 0-2 Colts team?
He finished with 210 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. Jonathan Taylor did damage too, carrying the ball for 92 yards and two scores. Butker hit a 31-yard field goal to give the Chiefs the lead, and for a second, Arrowhead exhaled. Spencer Shrader hit a 38-yarder to tie it back up, and suddenly the whole stadium was nervous again. After the overtime reset, Kansas City got the ball back with 3:11 left. Then Mahomes hit him on a 22-yard pass, and just like that, Butker was back out there for a 40-yarder. The Chiefs are 2-0.
Because of Walker, and because of Butker, and honestly because the Colts made one key mistake too many, join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines.
For a team with championship aspirations, that is a concern worth noting, even if the final result says otherwise. That drive said something real about this team. The short answer is that Indianapolis Colts played with genuine fight. Daniel Jones was not spectacular, but he was enough. The Colts moved the ball, ran the clock, and stayed in a game most people had written off before kickoff. What really put Kansas City on the edge was what happened in overtime. Then Laquon Treadwell caught a deep ball from Jones, the ball came loose, the Chiefs recovered, and Arrowhead exhaled again. Except the replay officials stepped in and overturned it. Down by contact. Colts’ ball. Kansas City’s defense gave up chunks of yardage all night. Their secondary got beaten repeatedly. The offense had its moments but also had long spells where Mahomes was doing more than he should have to hold things together. Walker took three straight handoffs to move the chains past midfield. It went through. Game over. When they had to grind it out, they did. No deep throws, no risks. Just Walker carrying the rock and Mahomes finding him in the flat when the moment called for it. It was not pretty. But playoff football rarely is. They have gaps in this roster that Sunday night made visible. But they also have the one thing that covers a lot of flaws: they know how to finish. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.