With 5:04 left in overtime, Indianapolis Colts (0-2) wide receiver Laquon Treadwell nearly held onto a 48-yard pass before fumbling it into a game-losing turnover — or so it seemed. The officials reviewed the play and overturned the call, ruling Treadwell was brought down by contact before fumbling.
The ruling kept Indianapolis in the game, but fitting to a prime-time matchup filled with drama, it was not enough. The Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) got the ball back, and kicker Harrison Butker smashed a 40-yard field goal to win the game 33-30.
Indianapolis looked a different team compared to its Week 1 40-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens (1-1). The Colts scored a touchdown off their opening drive, going 65 yards in 11 plays and taking 6:35 off the clock. Quarterback Daniel Jones went 4 of 4 for 33 yards, with a touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Warren.
This powerful offensive start was picked up by the Colts' defense as well, as the Chiefs' opening drive only yielded a field goal. Indianapolis had a good start to capitalize on, but its second drive of the game crumbled under a 10-yard penalty at first, and then Jones threw an interception at his team's 16-yard line.
For a quarterback-tight end duo like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, this was a routine touchdown that took the Chiefs up 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. And although the Colts were down, their offense looked like a better-working machine than the Chiefs' offense early in the game.
But Indianapolis' first drive in the second quarter saw wide receiver Alec Pierce leave the game with a heel injury. The team is still evaluating the injury on the same lower left leg Pierce had surgery on earlier this year. Despite this, the Colts dominated the second quarter.
The Chiefs could only get one touchdown from their three drives in the quarter, including one missed 51-yard field goal, while the Colts were able to get two field goals and one touchdown. Running back Jonathan Taylor was once again the engine of the Colts' offense with a 24-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
Taylor ended the game with 132 yards rushing on 24 carries and two touchdowns. He also had four receptions for 40 yards receiving. Wide receivers Josh Downs and Treadwell added 133 yards receiving, and alongside Taylor, they were the core of Indianapolis' offense Sunday night.
While the Colts' offense kept putting up yardage, Mahomes and the Chiefs struggled to get into a groove until halftime. Though Mahomes still went 14 of 19 for 138 passing yards and two touchdown passes in the first half, neither he nor his team looked overly threatening.
"I mean, I think guys were resilient, and we just strained to finish," Mahomes said, according to ESPN. "It wasn't always pretty. 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."
That changed in the third quarter. Kansas City scored on the opening drive of the second half, going 80 yards on 14 plays. Running back Kenneth Walker III ran for 27 yards on the drive and finished the game with 178 yards on 24 carries and had six receptions for 61 yards. The drive included a 45-yard pass to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton that got Kansas City to Indianapolis' 1-yard line.
This scoring drive was where Mahomes and his offense unlocked something. And while the Chiefs only got another field goal before the end of regulation, it was clear that the Colts could not afford to give them a sniff of a win.
Indianapolis scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter on a drive led by Taylor and Warren to tie the game. Both teams had a genuine chance to score in the remaining time, but both had to punt, forcing overtime. Coming into this game, both the Colts and Chiefs had won their last seven overtime games.
The Colts won the toss in overtime and chose to defend first. The Chiefs put up a few big plays, but had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from their possession. The equation for Indianapolis was simple: score a touchdown and win the game. And for a few moments, it looked like the Colts were going to do just that.
Jones threw an unbelievable 48-yard pass on Indianapolis' first offensive play of overtime. It looked as if Treadwell fumbled the ball after the catch, prompting celebrations from the Chiefs, as this meant they would win. It looked like a fumble from every angle, until the officials declared Treadwell was brought down by contact before the fumble.
Indianapolis had life again, and was 17 yards away from its first win of the season. But two failed plays forced the drive to fourth-and-8. Head coach Shane Steichen considered going for it, but decided otherwise. The Colts had to settle for a field goal and walk into dangerous overtime territory.
"Had a play called. Had to love the look to run it there," Steichen said via ESPN. "We took the delay and kicked the field goal."
With 3:11 left in overtime, it was all on Mahomes and the Chiefs to score and win the game. And when it mattered most, Walker rushed for 18 yards and held onto a 22-yard pass. Kansas City was at Indianapolis' 24-yard line with 42 seconds to go. It was over. Butker connected on a 40-yard attempt to win the game for Kansas City, 33-30.
Jones ended the game with three more completions and 34 more passing yards than Week 1. The Colts were better on both sides of the ball and had several chances to win the game. But the Chiefs were a better team and converted when necessary.
Still hunting for their first win, Indianapolis is back at home on Sunday, Sept. 27, for a 1 p.m. matchup against divisional rivals the Houston Texans (0-2).
Rudraksh Kikani is a graduate student in the Sports Capital Journalism Program. He enjoys watching motorsports, basketball, football and reading books in his free time.
