Patrick Mahomes had a simple preference after the Chiefs’ 33-30 overtime win over Indianapolis on Sunday night: he did not want the replay ruling to become the story on social media.
Kansas City survived a tense finish at Arrowhead Stadium when Harrison Butker drilled the winning 40-yard field goal at the end of overtime, but the biggest flashpoint came a little earlier. Daniel Jones connected with Laquon Treadwell for 48 yards to the Chiefs’ 17, and what happened next briefly looked like a game-ending fumble.
Treadwell bobbled the ball, regained it, tried to keep going, and then Nohl Williams knocked it loose. L’Jarius Sneed recovered.
The officials on the field ruled fumble, but replay reversed it.
The booth determined Treadwell had control before a Chiefs defender - Sneed, per the crew’s explanation - brushed his hip, and that his knee was down before the ball came out. The ruling stood as a completed catch, down by contact, Colts’ ball. In the stadium, the moment went from celebration to frustration in a heartbeat.
Mahomes was relieved for a different reason. After the game, he said the play “ended up being barely touched,” then delivered the line that made the rounds overnight: “I was actually kind of glad, because I didn’t want to see Twitter’s reaction if they would’ve called it a fumble.” He also said, “So we got to prove it the right way, get the stop there, and then go back out there and get a field goal.”
Kansas City did exactly that. The defense responded after the reversal, stuffing Jonathan Taylor on two runs and getting a Jaden Hicks hit on a five-yard Jones scramble to force Indianapolis into a fourth-and-8. Shane Steichen had a play ready, didn’t like the look, took a delay, and settled for Spencer Shrader’s 38-yard field goal that tied the game at 30 with 3:11 left.
That put the ball back in Mahomes’ hands, and he finished the job.
Kenneth Walker carried the load on the decisive march, taking three straight runs to midfield before Mahomes found him for a 22-yard gain to the Indianapolis 24. Butker then ended it with the 40-yarder as time expired. It was his second overtime field goal of the night and his fourth make overall, after hits from 46, 28 and 31 yards and a miss from 51.
Mahomes turned in a sharp line: 32 completions on 47 attempts for 382 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. His scoring throws went to Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals.
Kelce was the top target, finishing with nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Kansas City rolled up 534 total yards and did not turn the ball over.
Walker’s night was just as important. He totaled 117 rushing yards on 24 carries and added six receptions for 61 yards, including the catch that helped set up the winning kick. Mahomes also found Tyquan Thornton for 30 yards on third-and-12 in overtime, a throw that kept the drive alive after Kansas City had opened the extra period with another Butker field goal.
For Mahomes, the performance came in his second start back from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in mid-December. He looked rushed in Week 1 against Denver, but Sunday night he got the ball out quickly, leaned on Walker as a safety valve and still had enough arm to make the throws Kansas City needed. The Athletic listed his passer rating at 114.
The win pushed the Chiefs to 2-0. Mahomes is now 8-0 in regular-season overtime starts, the best undefeated mark by a starting quarterback in Elias Sports Bureau records. Kansas City has also won eight straight regular-season overtime games, matching the 49ers’ 2003-2010 run.
Indianapolis fell to 0-2 and has now lost nine straight dating to last season, including last year’s overtime defeat in Kansas City. Daniel Jones finished 22 of 31 for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Jonathan Taylor ran 24 times for 92 yards and two scores.
There is still work for the Chiefs to clean up, especially after allowing Treadwell that much room and committing eight penalties for 86 yards. But on a night when a replay review threatened to dominate the conversation, Mahomes made sure the ending belonged to the drive, the kick and the win.
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