The Indianapolis Colts entered their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday as road underdogs, which is understandable given that Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest locations in the NFL to play.

However, with an 8-2 record beforehand and a win putting them back on top of the AFC playoff race, where they've been all year, the Colts were facing a 5-5 Chiefs team that might've taken a nail into the coffin of their season with a loss.

The Colts boasted both an offense and a defense ranking in the top 10 in scoring, while many onlookers questioned whether the Chiefs were losing their magic.

Ultimately, the Colts lost the game in overtime, 23-20.

On the surface, Kansas City's 494 yards of offense (+239 difference) and 42:35 time of possession (+17:07 difference) make it look like it should've been an overwhelming victory, and that the Chiefs dropped the ball on a blowout, but that throws out all context of the game.

A theme from many in the national media this season — the best year the Colts have had since the days of Peyton Manning — is willful ignorance of who the Colts are, how they operate, and whether they're even any good.

The Chiefs are in the midst of a dynasty, having been to five of the last six Super Bowls and won three of them, so they deserve a ton of attention. However, this game was treated afterward as if it were an SEC vs. Big Sky matchup.

Two examples of this national media angle were from Trey Wingo of the Straight Facts Homie! podcast and Gregg Rosenthal of the NFL Daily podcast (sorry to pick, fellas; you're just the ones I noticed).

"How this Chiefs/Colts game was even close is a testament to all the little mistakes Kansas City made to let Indy hang around," Wingo posted on X.

"Chiefs had 33 first downs to 10 for the Colts. Indianapolis was fortunate to be in that game, not the other way around," was Rosenthal's take.

The Chiefs outpaced the Colts on offense and controlled time of possession, but they hardly ever controlled the game itself until late. Kansas City didn't pull the score even with the Colts until the clock expired in the fourth quarter with a field goal. They didn't have a lead until their game-winning field goal in overtime, 68 minutes into the game.

The reality, for those who care for the required nuance, is that the Colts held a commanding 20-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter, with the ball and a chance to make it a three-score game.

They didn't have much time of possession or a ton of yardage, but they didn't need it. Their offense committed no turnovers and no sacks. They had six true drives in the first three quarters and scored on four of them.

The defense had four sacks and two takeaways of their own, and they forced Kansas City into a game plan that went incredibly heavy on the run, which worked, but they knew they likely needed it to stay afloat in this game.

Coupled with committing 11 penalties in the game, the Colts' most significant issues came in the fourth quarter. When they could've maintained their approach on offense and kept the run game alive in order to run out some clock while nursing a two-score lead, they essentially forfeited the run. With the NFL's leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor, head coach Shane Steichen elected to run the ball once in the fourth quarter, and that was backed up near their own goal line, where you have almost no choice but to run at least once.

The Colts put the ball in the hands of quarterback Daniel Jones, who was under constant duress, and did not deliver under the circumstances.

Instead, the Colts had three drives go three-and-out in the fourth quarter, which only took 3:14 off the clock. The Chiefs caught up, sending the game to overtime as time expired. The Colts tried to run the ball again in overtime, but it was too little, too late. They went three-and-out again, punting to the Chiefs, who marched down and got their walk-off kick.

I don't say this all to discredit the Chiefs whatsoever. Their offensive game plan was smart; they executed it well for the most part and made big plays when they needed to. On the defensive side of the ball, coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called a terrific game, and there was clear synergy between his calls and the players executing the plan.

However, this was not a David-and-Goliath matchup. The Colts earned the high-quality record they had coming into the game (they're still the AFC's third seed) and should be taken more seriously for what they did on Sunday.

Now, they have to go out with their remaining six games and continue earning respect, but if it's earned, then it's due.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL. 

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