11/23/25 04:53:00
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11/23 16:51 CST Chiefs rally from 11-point deficit to beat Colts 23-20 in OT on
Harrison Butker's fifth field goal
Chiefs rally from 11-point deficit to beat Colts 23-20 in OT on Harrison
Butker's fifth field goal
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --- The Kansas City Chiefs looked much like they have all
season for the first three quarters against Indianapolis on Sunday.
Their offense was stuck in a rut, penalties were piling up, and the reigning
AFC champions' postseason hopes were growing ever dimmer.
In the fourth quarter and overtime, Patrick Mahomes and Co. finally resembled
their old selves.
The two-time MVP threw for a season-high 352 yards while rallying the Chiefs
from an 11-point deficit, their defense forced Indianapolis to go three-and-out
on its final four possessions, and Harrison Butker banged through his fifth
field goal of the game from 27 yards to give Kansas City a 23-20 victory that
just might have kept its playoff hopes alive.
"All five of our losses felt like this game, where there were plays we could
make and we didn't," Mahomes said afterward. "You can talk about it all day,
but until you prove it, it doesn't. We proved today we could make the plays."
Just like they used to.
Nearly everybody had a hand in it, too. Kareem Hunt ran 30 times for 104 yards
and a score. Rashee Rice caught eight passes for 141 yards, including two
important ones on the tying drive in regulation and another in OT to set up
Butker's field goal. And their defense held the league's No. 1 offense to just
255 yards, easily the Colts' worst output all season.
"The part I liked the best was the support the guys gave each other," Chiefs
coach Andy Reid said. "Nobody flinched. Nobody was hanging their head. It
wasn't happening. They came out and they played, and they did it when it
counted."
Now, the Chiefs (6-5) have some life heading into a short week. They visit
Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.
Meanwhile, the Colts limped home having blown a 20-9 fourth-quarter lead thanks
in part to questionable play-calling and even worse execution. They went almost
entirely away from running back Jonathan Taylor down the stretch, putting the
game instead in the hands of Daniel Jones, and his inability to pick up even
one first down in the fourth quarter and overtime proved costly.
Jones wound up with a season-low 181 yards passing and two touchdowns. He was 8
of 18 for 83 yards in the second half.
Taylor, meanwhile, only carried 16 times for 58 yards in his first game since a
record-setting performance against the Falcons, when the Colts star ran for 244
yards, piled up 286 from scrimmage and reached the end zone three times in an
overtime win.
"Obviously very frustrating. Not up to our standards today," Colts coach Shane
Steichen said. "There's a lot of stuff that I wanted to get called that I felt
good about in the pass game and we just weren't efficient doing it, and it
starts with me."
The Chiefs have struggled all season with turnovers at inopportune times, and
another set the tone for the first half. Mahomes had a pass from his 4-yard
line batted by Laiatu Latu, who brought it in himself for the defensive end's
third pick of the season.
Two players later, Jones hit Michael Pittman to give Indianapolis a 7-0 lead.
The Chiefs answered with the first of two grinding, eight-plus minute
first-half drives, but each netted just a field goal. And when the Colts moved
briskly downfield again, and Jones found Drew Ogletree in the back of the end
zone, they had built a 14-3 advantage.
The Colts were still clinging to 20-9 lead as the game headed to the fourth
quarter.
Just as he's done so many times, though, Mahomes led another comeback. He
marched the Chiefs 56 yards to set up Hunt's TD dive, then Mahomes found Rice
for a 2-point conversion to close within a field goal with 8 1/2 minutes to go.
The Chiefs defense proceeded to step up, forcing a series of three-and-outs by
the prolific Indianapolis offense.
Kansas City took over after the second one with 4:43 left at its 6. Mahomes hit
Rice for 47 yards, then he found him again on fourth-and-3 near midfield for a
19-yard gain. Hunt's dive on third-and-1 gave the Chiefs first down at the
Colts 2 with a minute to go, but he was stuffed on the next play, Mahomes threw
incomplete on the next, and he was sacked on third down.
Butker knocked through his fourth field goal, a 25-yard chip-shot as time
expired, to send the game to overtime.
Turned out the Chiefs would give Butker another chance a few minutes later,
this time to win the game.
"Nobody has been hanging our head, going, ?Oh, no! It's over!' That's not been
the mentality within our building," Reid said. That goes for everybody.
Everybody has had a piece of it, and it carried over onto the field."
Injuries
Colts: WR Ashton Dulin left in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Chiefs: LG Trey Smith left in the second half with an ankle injury, TE Noah
Gray finished the game in the concussion protocol, and CB Chris Roland-Wallace
hurt his back during the game.
Up next
The Colts play the Texans next Sunday.
The Chiefs visit the Cowboys on Thursday.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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