The Chiefs season is hanging in the balance and Sunday’s game has not gotten off to a good start for Kansas City.
Indianapolis turned an interception of Patrick Mahomes into a Michael Pittman touchdown, giving the Colts an early 7-0 lead.
Kansas City forced a rare Indianapolis punt on the Colts’ first drive, but the Chiefs started their possession at their own 4-yard line. After a short run, Mahomes was looking for Rashee Rice on the left side. But defensive end Laiatu Latu tipped the pass up in the air and came down with it for his third interception of the season.
It didn’t take long for the Colts to get in the end zone, with Daniel Jones capping the two-play drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman.
Jones has started Sunday’s game 5-of-5 for 28 yards with a TD.
The Packers won’t have running back Josh Jacobs for their home game against the Vikings on Sunday.
Jacobs was able to practice on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday, but the Packers listed him as questionable to play due to a knee injury that he suffered in last Sunday’s win over the Giants. Word that he’d be out came shortly before the Packers confirmed it with the announcement of their inactive list 90 minutes ahead of kickoff at Lambeau Field.
Emmanuel Wilson will be the lead back for Green Bay on Sunday. Chris Brooks is the other back active for the matchup of NFC North clubs.
Vikings at Packers
Vikings: EDGE Jonathan Greenard, LB Austin Keys, OL Joe Huber, OL Walter Rouse, TE Ben Yurosek, DL Elijah Williams
Packers: RB Josh Jacobs, CB Nate Hobbs, LB Quay Walker, WR Matthew Golden, K Lukas Havrisik, LB Jamon Johnson, OL Donovan Jennings
Colts at Chiefs
Colts: CB Jonathan Edwards, RB D.J. Giddens, S Reuben Lowery, TE Will Mallory, T Luke Tenuta
Chiefs: CB Josh Williams, RB Isiah Pacheco, WR Jalen Royals, TE Jared Wiley, RB Elijah Mitchell, OL Wanya Morris
Steelers at Bears
Steelers: QB Aaron Rodgers, EDGE Alex Highsmith, OL Andrus Peat, DL Brodric Martin, DL Logan Lee
Bears: QB Case Keenum, RB Travis Homer, LB T.J. Edwards, DL Jonathan Ford, WR Jahdae Walker, LB Noah Sewell, T Theo Benedet
Patriots at Bengals
Patriots: WR Efton Chism, TE C.J. Dippre, DT Joshua Farmer, G Caedan Wallace, QB Tommy DeVito, LB Jahlani Tavai
Bengals: QB Sean Clifford, WR Jermaine Burton, TE Cam Grandy, DE Cam Sample, RB Samaje Perine, DE Trey Hendrickson
Jets at Ravens
Jets: RB Khalil Herbert, WR Tyler Johnson, TE Jelani Woods, DL Mazi Smith, DL Tyler Baron
Ravens: QB Cooper Rush, RB Rasheen Ali, DT Aeneas Peebles, G Ben Cleveland, T Carson Vinson, WR Rashod Bateman, CB Keyon Martin
Giants at Lions
Giants: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, QB Jaxson Dart, CB Paulson Adebo, S Tyler Nubin, CB Deonte Banks, T James Hudson
Lions: CB Terrion Arnold, S Kerby Joseph, DL Quinton Jefferson, RB Craig Reynolds, DL Mekhi Wingo, CB Nick Whiteside
Seahawks at Titans
Seahawks: LB Ernest Jones, LB Tyrice Knight, LB Connor O’Toole, OL Mason Richman, LB Jared Ivey, QB Jalen Milroe
Titans: WR Elic Ayomanor, S Xavier Woods, S Kendell Brooks, OL Drew Moss, OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, DL CJ Ravenell
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy is expected to be part of the Chiefs’ effort to move back above .500 on Sunday.
Worthy was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report due to an ankle injury. Worthy steadily increased his practice work over the course of the week and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he is set to play against the Colts.
Worthy missed a couple of games earlier in the season with a shoulder injury. He has 27 catches for 281 yards and a touchdown in his eight appearances.
The Chiefs ruled out running back Isiah Pacheco with a knee injury for the third straight week. Left guard Kingsley Suamataia (concussion) is the only other player listed as questionable,
As the Colts prepare to face the Chiefs on Sunday, the Colts are getting a former Chiefs player back in time for a critical Week 12 game.
Indianapolis has activated cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. from injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Colts waived cornerback Cameron Mitchell.
Ward suffered a concussion during pre-game warmups before the Week 6 game against the Cardinals, in a collision with tight end David Ogletree. Ward, a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2023, has not played since then.
“I was throwing up, getting dizzy. I was getting dizzy for like a month,” Ward said this week, via James Boyd of TheAthletic.com. “That wasn’t normal, so that was like a real-deal traumatic injury for me. A lot of emotions and everything like that, so it was pretty tough, but I’m feeling good now.”
When he wasn’t feeling good, it was bad enough to get him to consider retiring.
“I was kind of doubting if I was gonna play football again because it was that scary,” Ward said. “Because I was thinking about my life outside of football, too.”
He’s now back, and he’ll be facing the team that gave him a shot in 2018 as an undrafted free agent, following a release by the Cowboys. He spent four years with the Chiefs and three with the 49ers.
Since Ward’s last game, the Colts traded for cornerback Sauce Gardner. Having both in the lineup will help the Colts in their latest test to prove they belong in the upper echelon of AFC teams — at a time when the Chiefs are struggling to emerge from the middle of the pack.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the full-time starter for the Chiefs in 2018. Including the postseason, he has won 111 games. He has lost only 32.
And he has never lost three games in a row.
That’s one of the things on the line this weekend, when the 5-5 Chiefs face the 8-2 Colts, who had two weeks to prepare for the visit to Arrowhead. A loss not only will drop the Chiefs below .500, but it will also give Mahomes an unprecedented three-game losing streak.
It’s all the more reason to expect the Chiefs to find a way to win the game. The only problem is that they haven’t been finding a way this season.
They didn’t find a way in Denver, in a game that was critical to the Chiefs’ now-slim hopes of winning a tenth straight AFC West crown. They didn’t find a way in Buffalo. They didn’t find a way in Jacksonville.
And that continues to be the game that could ultimately haunt the Chiefs into January. If the Jaguars and Chiefs are tied for the seventh seed in the AFC, the bizarre final play — with Trevor Lawrence falling down twice and Chris Jones loafing to stop him from scoring — could be the moment that sends Kansas City home after Week 18.
