A Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs believed they had secured a victory against the Indianapolis Colts on a bizarre fumble during overtime Sunday night.
The Colts ultimately received a chance to prevail, but opted to play for a tie instead.
And once again, Patrick Mahomes and the rest of his team denied the opposition a comeback.
After the Chiefs and Colts exchanged field goals in the extra period, Mahomes capitalized on consecutive strong runs by Kenneth Walker III with a long completion that set up Harrison Butker’s 40-yard field goal at full stop — sealing a 33-30 victory. This marks the second straight year the Chiefs have defeated Indianapolis on a field goal in overtime.
“I believe our guys were resilient, and we exerted ourselves to finish,” Mahomes said. “It wasn’t always pleasant. At times execution declined. However, players persisted, pushed hard, and discovered a solution at the close of the contest.”
Mahomes recorded 382 passing yards with three touchdowns, while Walker contributed 117 yards on the ground. Tight end Travis Kelce appeared as if reignited, hauling in nine catches for 101 yards and adding a score that improved the Chiefs to 2-0 on the season.
Despite progress, it took longer than initially anticipated.
Butker connected on a 31-yard field goal late in overtime to put Kansas City ahead, prompting the Colts (0-2) to respond on their possession. Quarterback Jordan Jones launched a deep pass to Laquon Treadwell, who evaded pressure from L’Jarius Sneed. Treadwell appeared to stumble during the catch, losing control as he gained separation.
The play was initially ruled a fumble, but officials reviewed the moment and determined Treadwell came down at contact. This ruling granted the Colts a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown before winding up with four plays remaining.
Angles From The Laquon Treadwell Catch And Then Fumble
Does He Really Catch This? Is It Really A Fumble? Does He Have Possession? Is The Game Over? What Is Happening? pic.twitter.com/j2WKGkTNPQ
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) September 21, 2026
“There was a specific call, and I loved how they ran towards it,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen noted. “We accepted the pause and made the field goal.”
That proved misguided.
With three minutes remaining in the extra frame, the Chiefs regained possession and handed off to Walker on successive plays, moving toward midfield. As the Colts constructed a front to stifle the move, Mahomes orchestrated a precise pass to his running back, producing a 22-yard gain that positioned the team for Butker’s decisive kick.
“Our preparation throughout the week involved working on improving consistency,” Mahomes explained. “They presented a pressuring look initially. We adjusted our approach; Rashee Rice executed excellent peripheral blocking. That action brought us into field goal territory.”
“Regardless, our efforts sustained momentum throughout,” Steichi added, admitting failure ultimately.
The Chiefs managed to restrict the Colts after a disappointing Week 1 showing against Baltimore attributed to communication breakdowns. They addressed concerns by having linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaithers relay defensive assignments previously handled by safety Cam Bynum, yet Kansas City remained relentless up and down the field.
Without Butker’s missed 51-yard field goal attempt, three Chiefs drives would have scored. By contrast, the Colts matched Mahomes and Company throughout the first half. Tyrell Warren recorded three receptions and a touchdown, Josh Downs exploited a secondary without safety Chamarri Conner, and Taylor contributed 75 rushing yards — highlighted by a 24-yard touchdown sprint that capped a 20-17 halftime lead.
The Chiefs had constrained Denver to just 61 total yards during their previous 31-10 victory.
“We accomplished several positive objectives. I felt confident our run game was effective—we extended plays effectively. I maintained offensive pressure.” Jones commented.
Finally, Kansas City limited the Colts by denying them the ball early.
The Chiefs controlled the majority of the third quarter with only two minutes remaining, delivering a touchdown pass to Jalen Royals and setting stage for Butker’s field goal that opened the fourth period.
Indianapolis rebounded with an eight-minute-plus assault that saw Taylor add his second scoring run to bring the game to a tied score of 27 with five minutes elapsed on the clock.
Neither offense produced further points as time wound down, forcing overtime.
“The participants demonstrated commendable competition for the entire duration,” Reid stated. “Parity within this league has become increasingly significant. You will experience single-game contests; bearing focus became essential, which our players achieved.”
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