5 takeaways from Chiefs’ 2nd straight primetime victory to start 2026

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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One week after dominating Denver to open the season, the Kansas City Chiefs got a tougher test from the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium.

Coach Andy Reid’s squad never trailed — and was never really threatened against the Broncos after a brief 7-7 tie in the first half — a week ago, but the Chiefs had to fight back from three first-half deficits en route to a 33-30 overtime victory.

Kansas City trailed by a field goal at halftime but embarked on a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took nearly 7 minutes to open the third quarter and never trailed again.

Patrick Mahomes’ 1-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Royals on fourth-and-goal put the Chiefs in front 24-20. It was Royals’ first career TD and his first catch of the season.

While Kansas City never trailed again, Indianapolis forced overtime when Jonathan Taylor scored on a 5-yard run for his second touchdown, tying the game at 27-27 with 5:37 remaining.

The teams traded field goals on their first possessions in OT before Harrison Butker delivered the win with a 40-yard field goal at 10:54 p.m.

“That's why you play,” Butker said. “The practices can get monotonous. But to have the butterflies and the nerves on game days and have game-winning kicks, that's why you play football, especially as a kicker. It makes you feel alive, and I love it.”

Mahomes, who now has an NFL-best 31 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime and improved to 8-0 in regular-season OT contests, finished 32 of 47 for 382 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Unkind reviews

Cornerback Nohl Williams appeared to force the game-saving and game-ending fumble on a 48-yard bomb to Laquon Treadwell in overtime.

It was recovered by cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who had the initial coverage.

The officials originally ruled the play a catch-and-fumble, but after review determined that Sneed had touched Treadwell after he gained possession following an initial bobble.

“I thought the game was over, but you know they overturned it, so we’ve got to keep playing football, man,” Williams said. “I'm just happy we won.”

Williams finished with five tackles, including one for a loss, with a pass defended.

“It was hard for me to tell,” Reid said. “I saw all the replays. I would have voted against it going the other way, but I don't have a vote. It's America, and I don't have a vote.”

That put the Colts at the Chiefs’ 17-yard line, but the defense stiffened, stuffing Taylor for a loss on the first two downs before safety Jaden Hicks hammered Jones on a 5-yard scramble.

Eventually, Spencer Shrader tied the game with a 38-yard field goal, leaving Mahomes and the offense 3:11.

It was the second odd officiating decision against Kansas City, which also saw a penalty called against Indianapolis that was erased by a replay assist.

Taylor breaks through against Chiefs, Walker wins marquee RB battle

Taylor, a former first-team All-Pro, hasn’t had much luck against the Chiefs in his NFL career.

He only managed 21 carries for 71 yards, a meager 3.4-yard average, with three catches for 20 yards in a September 2022 game.

Kansas City bottled Taylor up again last November, limiting him to 16 carries for 58 yards with two catches for 8 yards.

But the third time against the Chiefs was the charm for the three-time Pro Bowl running back.

Taylor busted out for 24 carries for 92 yards, including two touchdowns, and added four catches for 40 yards.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis kept Kenneth Walker III contained for much of the game, but Kansas City’s newest weapon had the last laugh.

Fresh off a career-best performance in his Chiefs debut, Walker racked up 24 carries for 117 yards and added six catches for 61 yards.

He's the second player in NFL history to top 175 yards from scrimmage in his first two games with a team, joining former Lions great Billy Sims (1980).

Walker — who set a personal record with 15 forced missed tackles, topping a mark he set only last week (14) — leads the NFL with 369 yards from scrimmage, which is 70 more than current Lions great Jahmyr Gibbs (299).

Kelce continues to roll clock back

One week after leading the Chiefs with three catches for 71 yards, including 63 yards after the catch, future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce continues to flash his trademark post-catch elusiveness.

Kansas City deployed Kelce in the screen game and on intermediate routes, where he’s done the bulk of the damage in his 14-year NFL career.

There was no 59-yard catch-and-run against Indianapolis. Instead, it was a master class in making defenders miss and gaining extra yards.

Kelce finished with nine catches for 101 yards, including 66 yards after the catch. He now has 39 career 100-yard games, extending his own NFL record.

During the game, he also became the NFL's all-time leader in yards after the catch, surpassing Marshall Faulk (6,230).

Kelce leads the NFL with 128 yards after the catch in 2026. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson (120) and Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba (116) are the only players with more than 100 YAC this season.

He also scored his 83rd career touchdown — and 103rd overall, including the playoffs — on a 13-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter.

The score moved Kelce into the top 30 on the all-time NFL list for receiving touchdowns. He’s tied for 27th with Antonio Brown, Tyreek Hill, Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall.

Chiefs' D struggles

The Colts carved up the Chiefs’ defense on the opening drive, marching 65 yards on 11 plays before Daniel Jones completed a perfect initial salvo with a 1-yard touchdown to tight end Tyler Warren.

Jones finished 4 of 4 for 33 yards, while Johnathan Taylor ran for 22 yards on five carries, en route to a 7-0 lead. It was a harbinger of things to come.

Indianapolis’ success came one week after Kansas City limited Denver to 176 yards, including 61 yards rushing on 15 carries, and a mere nine first downs,

The Broncos, who scored only 10 points in defeat, were 2 of 12 on third down, and the Chiefs sacked Bo Nix four times.

By contrast, the Colts had 167 yards and 20 points before halftime, scoring on four of five drives. The lone exception was Kristian Fulton’s interception.

Kansas City didn’t force a punt until the opening drive of the third quarter, but it came at a good time since Mahomes and company had just retaken the lead. The second punt the defense forced came with the game tied in the closing minute.

“We gutted it out,” Williams said. “I feel like our guys, we play four quarters and more. I'm just proud of the guys for just sticking in there. It's the NFL; there's gonna be games like that. You don't expect to have games like last week every week. It's just not gonna happen, so it's good that we got the win in this type of game and this type of environment.”

The Colts racked up 329 yards and 24 first downs, converting 5 of 12 third downs and both fourth-down tries.

Speaking of Fulton

It was a mixed bag for Fulton, a seventh-year cornerback in his second season in Kansas City.

The Chiefs signed him before the 2025 season to beef up the cornerback position, but injuries limited his acclimation to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

Fulton appeared in just eight games, starting only the final two, as Kansas City was out of playoff contention and eager for the offseason. He didn’t have a single pass defense in the first 15 weeks of the season — though, to be fair, he was inactive for nine of those games.

But with Mansoor Delane limited by a shoulder injury this season, Fulton has been pressed into action and responded.

He allowed only one catch, a 5-yard completion, on three targets against the Broncos and created a critical turnover against the Colts.

Fulton outwrestled Keenan Allen for an interception deep in Indianapolis territory on the Colts’ second drive, setting up a 16-yard touchdown drive. Kelce punished Daniel Jones’ mistake with a 13-yard touchdown grab from Mahomes.

Later in the first half, Fulton was called for two second-quarter pass interference penalties — though the second was unwarranted in the opinion of the Arrowhead faithful — that extended Indianapolis scoring drives.

“I won't take anything away from Fulton, either. He stepped in and did a heck of a job. A couple of those calls could go either way, too.”

Both Fulton and Sneed struggled in coverage at times, an issue worth monitoring if Delane’s shoulder remains an ongoing issue.

Injury report

Rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane (shoulder) missed a chunk of training camp with a shoulder injury and only played three snaps in Week 1. He picked off the first pass thrown his way, but hurt his shoulder on the return.

Delane was active after being listed as questionable, but he was seemingly only available in an emergency.

“I'm glad he came out and was there in case we needed him,” Reid said.

Indianapolis wide receiver Alec Pierce (heel) left the game in the first half. He had an 11-yard run on the Colts’ touchdown drive to open the game.

Backup defensive end Micheal Clemons (toe) also left the game for Indy but later returned.

Right tackle Jaylon Moore briefly left the game on the opening drive of the second half, but he returned for the next drive and only missed one play.

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