The Colts had Kansas City right where they wanted it in overtime, and still walked out of Arrowhead with another loss.
Indianapolis fell 33-30 on Sunday night after head coach Shane Steichen chose to kick a field goal on fourth-and-8 from the Chiefs’ 15-yard line, a decision that tied the game at 30-30 instead of putting the result in Daniel Jones’ hands. Harrison Butker then ended it with a 40-yard field goal as overtime expired, sending the Chiefs to 2-0 and leaving the Colts at 0-2.
The sequence that will hang over Steichen this week started with a big play from Jones to Laquon Treadwell. After Butker’s 31-yard kick put Kansas City ahead 30-27, Jones hit Treadwell for 48 yards.
Officials initially ruled it a fumble, but replay changed it to down by contact, giving Indianapolis first-and-10 at the Chiefs’ 17. Under the current overtime rules, a touchdown there would have ended the game.
Instead, the Colts never got close to the end zone. Jonathan Taylor lost a yard, then two more on the next snap.
Jones picked up five yards on third-and-13 before going out of bounds. That left fourth-and-8 from the 15.
Steichen called timeout, sent the offense back out, then took a delay of game after not liking the coverage and sent Spencer Shrader out for a 38-yard field goal.
“I was trying to finish the game with (Jonathan Taylor) with the ball in his hands. … It was fourth-and-eight, had a play called, had to love the look to run it there. If not, we took the delay of game and kicked the field goal.”
Steichen later said in the locker room that he told Jones the same basic thing on the sideline: if the look was right, go win it; if not, kick. “We wanted it to be the last possession,” Steichen said in that same session. He also pushed back on the idea that the two Taylor runs were about playing not to lose, saying he wanted the ball in his best player’s hands.
But the numbers made the decision feel even heavier. Mahomes had already thrown for 382 yards, and Kansas City had piled up 523 total yards by the end of the night. The Chiefs’ offense was operating at full speed, and handing it back to Mahomes with more than three minutes left after a tie was always going to invite a second-guess.
Kansas City’s top line was as brutal as it gets: Mahomes finished 32-of-47 for 382 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Kenneth Walker ran for 117 yards, and Travis Kelce caught nine passes for 101 yards and a score. On the final drive, Walker handled three straight runs to midfield before Mahomes found him on a 22-yard completion that helped set up Butker’s winner.
Indianapolis had plenty of its own production. Taylor carried 24 times for 92 yards and two touchdowns and added 40 receiving yards.
Jones went 22-of-31 for 210 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Josh Downs caught seven passes for 72 yards after Alec Pierce left in the first quarter.
That part matters because this was still a better showing than the Colts’ Week 1 blowout in Indianapolis. It just didn’t end any differently.
The offense moved. The game was there.
And in the biggest spot, Steichen chose the kick.
Pierce left on crutches and in a boot, and Steichen said after the game that X-rays on the left heel were negative, with more imaging scheduled Monday. The team’s own update leaves the full severity unclear for now.
The Colts return home next Sunday, when the 0-2 Houston Texans visit Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m. ET. Steichen’s explanation for overtime will be the story until then.
In Other News...
Colts Fans Wont Love What Mahomes Said After That Overtime Call
The Colts left Kansas City with a 33-30 overtime loss that will linger, and not just because Harrison Butker ended it with a final field goal. The game swung on a crucial fumble call against Indianapolis that was overturned after replay review, a ruling that changed the tone of the night and gave the Chiefs a break they needed as Patrick Mahomes kept the offense moving.
Mahomes certainly noticed the break, and he did not try to hide how much it helped. After the game, he addressed the reversal with relief and a little humor, a reaction that Colts fans probably wont appreciate given how much that sequence shaped the outcome. On the field, he was sharp enough to capitalize, finishing 32 of 47 for 382 yards and three touchdowns to help Kansas City escape with the win. [Read more 🡒]
Mahomes Weighed In On The Colts Call Everyone Is Arguing About
The overtime sequence between the Chiefs and Colts had enough drama on its own, but Patrick Mahomes added another layer afterward by weighing in on the officiating decision that had plenty of people talking. The Chiefs quarterback said he was relieved the play was not ruled a fumble against Kansas City, knowing full well how quickly a controversial call can take over the conversation once fans get on social media.
Mahomes also pointed to the bigger issue any time a game ends with a disputed judgment call: teams still have to settle it on the field. For the Colts, that leaves the frustration of a heated moment hanging around longer than they would like, especially in a game that turned on a decision everyone seemed to have an opinion about. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Were Nearly Burned By A Brutal Overtime Rules Mistake
The Colts came dangerously close to turning a routine overtime coin toss into a self-inflicted mess before the extra period even began. Captain Cam Bynum initially said defer, a choice that is not available in overtime, and the moment briefly gave Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a chance to press their case with the referee before the situation was sorted out.
In the end, the ref went back to Bynum to clarify the decision, and the Colts settled on starting on defense, which meant kicking off to begin overtime. Mahomes later acknowledged he was trying to take advantage of the miscue, a small but telling reminder that in the NFL, even the rules at the coin toss can become part of the strategy. [Read more 🡒]