The Kansas City squeaked out a 23-20 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts, in a game in which they had to come from behind with a fourth-quarter offensive explosion to force overtime, then notch the win on a field goal from kicker Harrison Butker.
The Chiefs made this one as difficult as possible in the first half. A tipped pass gave the Colts the early lead, 7-0 with defensive end Liaiatu Latu doing the interception honors on a short throw by quarterback Patrick Mahomes deep in Chiefs territory. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones finished off the short drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
The Chiefs responded with a 17-play, 64-yard drive that led to the first of Butler’s five field goals, several of which were a result of Kansas City’s struggles in the red zone. Jones led the Colts on a long drive of their own, which ended with a four-yard TD pass to tight end Drew Ogletree that extended the Indy lead to 14-3.
Kansas City responded with two more field goals to make it 14-9 at halftime, but along the way a four-yard touchdown run by tight end Travis Kelce was wiped out by a face mask penalty on tackle Jawaan Taylor.
The third quarter featured more frustration for the Chiefs, as the Colts extended their lead to 20-9 with a pair of field goals of their own by kicker Michael Badgley.
The fourth quarter started with what looked like the end for Kansas City, as running back Kareem Hunt fumbled at the end of a five-play, 60-yard drive and linebacker Zaire Franklin of the Colts recovered at the Indy six-yard line.
That was when the game changed completely. Mahomes reverted back to the big-play clutch quarterback who has dominated the league for most of his career, and the Chiefs posted almost 300 yards of offense in the fourth quarter while Jones and the offense did almost nothing.
Rashee Rice resurfaced as Kansas City’s big-play receiver, and Hunt finished off an 11-play, 56-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run that was followed by a successful two-point conversion to bring the Chiefs back to within three at 20-17.
More field position nail-biting ensued, and it took another long drive that ended with a tying field goal to force overtime. The drive covered 87 yards in 15 plays, but when the Chiefs couldn’t finish it was up to Butker to knock home a 25 yard kick and tie the game at 20 at the end of regulation.
The Colts got the ball first in OT, but a quick three-and-out made the ending feel almost obligatory. The final Chiefs drive featured a pair of Mahomes’ big strikes to receivers Xavier Worthy and Rice again, with Worthy’s catch going for 31 yards and Rice adding another 21 on his. Hunt providing some tough inside running, and Butker kicked the winner from 27 yards out after the two-minute warning.
The Chiefs still have an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but a loss would have ended their season, and they did have some heroic performances to celebrate. Mahomes threw for 352 yards on 29-of-46, with Rice catching eight passes for 141 yards.
Hunt was an absolute stud in the running game with 30 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, as running back Isiah Pacheco sat this one out due to his ongoing knee issues. Butker nailed all five of his field goal attempts on a day when a miss almost certainly would have led to a loss.
As for the Colts, they’ll head back to Indianapolis wondering exactly how they lost this game, as they posted just 13 yards of offense in the fourth quarter and overtime after being in control for the first three quarters. They get to face that nasty Houston Texans defense at home next week, while the Chiefs have a short week to get ready for their Thanksgiving road game against the Dallas Cowboys.