The Kansas City Chiefs used a more balanced attack to eke out a win over Indianapolis.
The Kansas City Chiefs got their second straight win of the season on Sunday, and their 33-30 OT victory over the Indianapolis Colts had a far more familiar look to it.
What we saw from the Chiefs against the Denver Broncos in Week 1 was shocking. The win featured a steady diet of quarterback Patrick Mahomes under center handing off to running back Kenneth Walker III, who rumbled through the defense to pound the Broncos into submission.
Sunday’s win was different. Mahomes was still under center, but the configuration was more of a change of pace. But the win over the Colts featured far more of Mahomes in his usual position in the shotgun, and the Chiefs made several of their biggest plays with Walker as a receiver, including the 22-yard pass that set up the final winning field goal from kicker Harrison Butker.
There was a reason for that, according to Andy Reid in a report from Nate Taylor of ESPN. The Colts “packed five guys in there” on the line of scrimmage, which led to an effective mix of screens and play action. Walker still got his 100 yards, but he wasn’t nearly as dominant early on.
The mix also created some problems. In many ways this was a “blast from the past” win, as the shotgun passing game also created more opportunities for the Colts offense. The Chiefs also didn’t do a great job of finishing drives, which created field goals that kept Kansas City from pulling away.
The positive part of this development was that Walker’s presence helped trigger the play-action game, as Taylor noted. Mahomes finished the game with a career-high 14 completions on play action passes, per Taylor, for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
According to Mahomes, Walker’s present also helped tight end Travis Kelce, who had a throwback game after a slow start as he ended up with 9 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback added that Walker helps create favorable matchups for Kelce, although the tight end did struggle with a couple of drops that left at least a couple of positive plays on the field.
The Chiefs have also unlocked a new skill for Walker, which is his ability to work as a receiver. They’re keeping it easy for him with soft tosses and screens that don't require great hands, but the Chiefs will probably return to the ground game in a big way next Sunday when they hit the road to play the Miami Dolphins.
