The NFL is in its second year of its current overtime format, but some players still haven’t learned the rules. And Chiefs captain Patrick Mahomes tried to take advantage of that on Sunday night.
Colts captain Cam Bynum called tails on the overtime coin toss, and when it came up tails, he had the choice to kick, receive or pick a goal to defend. But Bynum chose none of those, instead saying “defer.”
Deferring is only an option for the pre-game coin toss, when the team that wins the toss can choose to defer its choice of kicking or receiving until the second half kickoff. Deferring is not an option before overtime.
As soon as Mahomes heard Bynum’s mistake, he yelled to referee Craig Wrolstad, “They get the ball!” Mahomes figured that if Bynum was going to defer the Colts’ choice, then the Chiefs would make their choice, which was to kick off and get the ball second in overtime.
Unfortunately for Mahomes, Wrolstad asked Bynum follow-up questions until Bynum understood.
“Would you like the ball? Would you like the ball? Would you like to play defense?” Wrolstad asked Bynum.
Eventually, Bynum said the Colts wanted to start on defense — which is technically not a choice at the start of overtime, but Wrolstad knew Bynum meant the Colts wanted to kick off, and Wrolstad accepted that.
“Indianapolis won the toss, they would like to play defense,” Wrolstad announced to the crowd.
After the game, Mahomes confirmed that he was trying to take advantage of Bynum’s mistake.
“You’re supposed to say kick off. You can’t defer in overtime. If you defer, then it’s my decision. So I was like, then I want to kick off,” Mahomes said. “You’re supposed to say kick off, he said defer, so I said, Well, I’ll kick off then. That’s the rules, I guess, but it didn’t work.”
Mahomes credited Mike Frazier, the Chiefs’ longtime statistical analysis coordinator, for making sure the Chiefs’ players always know exactly what their options are in such situations. Mahomes knew the rule, and Bynum didn’t.
Colts coach Shane Steichen chose to kick in Sunday night’s overtime loss to the Chiefs. Questioned about those decisions after the game, Steichen defended his process even though his team lost the game.
Steichen’s two choices came when the Colts won the coin toss and chose to kick off to start overtime, and then when the Colts settled for a game-tying field goal rather than trying to score a game-winning touchdown at the end of their only overtime possession.
On the choice to kick off after winning the toss, Steichen said he didn’t want to score first because it would be too easy for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to move the ball down the field if the Chiefs knew they were going to go for it on every fourth down.
“If we go first with it, Mahomes gets four downs going the other way, so we wanted to play defense there and know we had four downs,” Steichen said. “It can go either way in those situations, but we decided to kick off there, and we had a chance at the end. Didn’t finish it.”
On the Chiefs’ opening possession, they kicked a field goal. That meant on the Colts’ possession, a touchdown would win the game, while a field goal would tie it and give the ball back to the Chiefs. The Colts marched down the field and faced a fourth-and-8 at the Chiefs’ 15-yard line, and Steichen initially kept his offense on the field, appearing ready to go for the win. But after seeing how the Chiefs’ defense lined up, Steichen told his offense to take a delay of game penalty and settled for a field goal.
“It was fourth-and-8, had a play called, had to love the look to run it there, and if not, we took the delay of game there and kicked the field goal there to tie it,” Steichen said.
That tied the game 30-30, and Mahomes proceeded to move the Chiefs into field goal range, where Harrison Butker’s kick gave Kansas City the 33-30 win. Steichen thinks he made the right choices, even if he doesn’t like the result.
It took nearly every moment of regulation and overtime, but the Chiefs were able to come away with a 33-30 victory over the Colts on Sunday night.
After the two teams traded field goals in overtime, Kansas City got a 40-yard field goal from Harrison Butker to push the club’s record to 2-0 on the young season.
Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker set up Butker’s game-winner with a catch-and-run on third-and-2 from the Indianapolis 46, with Walker making it all the way down to the Indianapolis 24. After another Walker run, Butker sent his kick right through the middle of the uprights for the win.
It was the capper to a good night for Mahomes, who finished 32-of-47 for 382 yards with three touchdowns. He also rushed twice for 17 yards.
Kenneth Walker again helped pace the offense, rushing for 117 yards on 24 carries and catching six passes for 61 yards.
Travis Kelce led with nine receptions for 101 yards with a touchdown. Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals had the other two TDs.
While Indianapolis had tied the game at 30-30, the club nearly lost the game on its overtime possession. Laquon Treadwell beat the coverage deep, juggled the football, and then reeled it in. But not thinking he was touched down as he went to the ground, he got back up and then fumbled when he was hit hard by a Chiefs defender — with Kansas City recovering.
But replay review overturned the play, as Treadwell had been touched down upon securing the ball with his right hand.
However, the Colts’ drive stalled, with the club kicking a 38-yard field goal to again knot the score.
Daniel Jones finished the contest 22-of-31 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jonathan Taylor had 92 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns and caught four passes for 40 yards.
Notably, Colts receiver Alec Pierce left the game with an injury to the same heel he had surgically repaired in the offseason. It was reported during the second half that Pierce’s X-rays were negative, but he is slated to undergo more tests on Monday.
Indianapolis cornerback Charvarius Ward also departed the game with a groin injury. Sauce Gardner was shaken up as well during the second half, but was able to come back into the game.
The now 2-0 Chiefs will be on the road next week to face the Dolphins in South Florida. Kansas City has now won eight consecutive regular-season overtime games, which ties the longest all-time streak set by the 49ers from 2003-2010.
The 0-2 Colts will be at home to face the division-rival 0-2 Texans.
There is a little more information about Colts receiver Alec Pierce after he left Sunday’s game with a heel injury.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, X-rays on Pierce’s heel were negative.
Pierce is slated to undergo more testing on Monday.
Pierce exited the matchup against the Chiefs in the first half. He hopped off the field after getting hurt on a non-contact play. He was examined on the sideline before being carted to the locker room for further examination.
The injury is to the same heel Pierce had surgically repaired during the offseason.
The Colts trail the Chiefs 27-20 in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs are back in the lead.
After quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with Tyquan Thornton with a deep 45-yard deep ball, Mahomes hit receiver Jalen Royals in the back of the end zone on fourth down for a 1-yard touchdown.
Kansas City leads 24-20 with 8:01 left in the third quarter.
The touchdown capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive to start the third period.
The Chiefs converted a pair of fourth downs on the possession. The first was a fourth-and-1, with nose tackle Khyiris Tonga taking a handoff for a 3-yard gain after he was lined up at fullback for the play.
Mahomes’ deep pass to Thornton came on third-and-11 from the Indianapolis 46, with Thornton tackled just short of the goal line.
While the Colts stuffed the Chiefs on three straight runs from the 1, Mahomes rolled to his right on fourth down and found Royals for the score.
Mahomes is now 18-of-25 for 188 yards with three touchdowns so far on Sunday night.
On the injury front, Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward is questionable to return with a groin injury.
