Mahomes, Walker lead Chiefs past Colts as Butker delivers overtime winner.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs needed every second of Sunday night’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, but they ultimately found a way to escape with another overtime victory. Harrison Butker drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired in overtime, giving Kansas City a 33-30 win over Indianapolis and sending the Chiefs to 2-0 on the season.
The victory marked the second consecutive season the Chiefs have defeated the Colts on an overtime field goal. Patrick Mahomes was instrumental throughout the night, throwing for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Kenneth Walker III added 117 rushing yards and made a crucial 22-yard reception during the final Chiefs possession of overtime. Travis Kelce also turned in a strong performance, catching nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
“It wasn’t always pretty,” Mahomes said. “There were times we didn’t execute at a high level. But guys continued to fight and continued to push and we found a way at the end.”
The Colts appeared to have an opportunity to steal the game in overtime after Kansas City initially recovered what looked like a fumble by Indianapolis receiver Laquon Treadwell. After review, officials determined Treadwell was down by contact before the ball came loose.
That ruling kept Indianapolis alive and gave the Colts a chance to take the lead. Instead, they faced fourth-and-8 and opted to take a delay of game before settling for a field goal that tied the score. Kansas City got the ball back with 3:11 remaining in overtime. The Chiefs immediately leaned on Walker, giving him the ball on three consecutive plays to move the offense to midfield. With Indianapolis stacking defenders near the line of scrimmage, Mahomes changed the play and found Walker for a 22-yard completion. The big gain put Kansas City within range for Butker, who calmly converted the winning kick as the clock reached zero. The Colts matched Kansas City throughout much of the first half. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 75 yards before halftime and scored on a 24-yard touchdown run that gave Indianapolis a 20-17 lead at the break.
Tyler Warren added a touchdown reception, while Josh Downs continued to make an impact against a Kansas City secondary that was without safety Chamarri Conner for a second consecutive game. Indianapolis also attempted to address its defensive communication issues following last week's loss to Baltimore. Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither took over the responsibility of relaying defensive calls instead of safety Cam Bynum, but the Chiefs continued to move the ball consistently. Kansas City controlled much of the third quarter, holding possession for all but 2:22 of the period. Mahomes connected with Jalen Royals for a touchdown, and Butker added another field goal early in the fourth quarter. Indianapolis responded with an 8 1/2-minute drive that ended with Taylor's second touchdown run of the night, tying the game at 27 with 5:37 remaining. Neither team could score again in regulation, forcing overtime. We competed for four quarters,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “You're going to have some one-score games. You have to bear down and our guys did that.” Kansas City improved to 2-0 with the win, while Indianapolis dropped to 0-2. The Colts return home next Sunday to host the Houston Texans. The Chiefs will travel to face the Miami Dolphins.
