Chiefs defense plays hero with four epic stops to save season against Colts

Okay, I’ll admit it. At one point on Sunday, I thought the Kansas City Chiefs were officially done for. After a season characterized by missed opportunities, underwhelming performances, and agonizing mistakes, a fourth-quarter fumble in the red zone seemed like it would be the final, fatal miscue.

The Chiefs needed a hero, and they got one from their defense.

Following Kareem Hunt’s fumble, things were looking grim. The Chiefs trailed the Indianapolis Colts 20–9, having just wasted their third opportunity in the red zone. At that point, the Colts had an 86 percent chance of winning the game, according to ESPN Analytics—a result that would knock Kansas City’s playoff probability from 55 percent down to just 38 percent.

It was Kansas City’s first lost fumble of the season, and to me, it felt like the Chiefs had dropped their last chance to make the playoffs. But as Chiefs head coach Andy Reid once said, “When things are grim, be the Grim Reaper.” And boy oh boy, did Kansas City’s defense reap.

With their backs against the wall and the team’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Chiefs’ defense not only saved the day but quite possibly saved Kansas City’s entire season.

The Chiefs were fading fast, but a suffocating defensive surge rescued their season when it mattered most.

What we saw from Kansas City's defense to end the game was nothing short of spectacular. The Colts had four drives in the fourth quarter and overtime, and they went three-and-out on all of them. Indianapolis ran 12 plays, gained 13 total yards, and punted four times. They did not pick up a single first down and could only chew 3:14 of game clock while trying to protect a fourth-quarter lead.

Jonathan Taylor—the league’s leading rusher in yards, rushing touchdowns, yards per attempt, first downs, and yards per game—had just three carries after the third quarter. Two of those went for negative yardage, including a crucial stop on 3rd & 1 in overtime.

Daniel Jones was 3 for 11 for 17 yards to end the game after completing 16 of 20 passes for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns earlier on. Overall, he was hurried on more than 40 percent of dropbacks, and he didn’t attempt a pass of more than 20 yards for the entire game.

Chris Jones was wreaking havoc on the defensive line, blowing up plays time and time again. Nick Bolton and the linebackers looked good, and Drue Tranquill had arguably his best game of the season, too. Kansas City’s secondary locked down on any deep threat as well.

The Colts had scored a touchdown on every goal-to-go possession prior to Sunday, but were held to a field goal in that situation for the first time.

It was the kind of defensive performance Chiefs Kingdom had been dying to see. Against the Broncos a week earlier, the Chiefs couldn’t make a stop when they needed it most right at the end of the game.

There were no blown coverages on 3rd-&-long, no pass interference penalties, and no blown coverages over the middle—all things that have haunted the Chiefs’ D this season. This time, they made four game-winning stops on four consecutive drives against the top-rated offense in the NFL.

It was incredible, and it provided the platform the offense needed to win the game. 

Patrick Mahomes was clutch when it mattered most, spearheading an 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter, the largest fourth-quarter comeback of his career.

Rashee Rice had a career-high 141 yards, 132 of which came in the second half, Kareem Hunt had his first 100-yard rushing game in over a year, and Harrison Butker was a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals, too.

Those players all stepped up. However, make no mistake, while each of those contributions was vital to Kansas City winning on Sunday, it was Kansas City’s defense that was the hero of the day.

They say defense wins championships. On Sunday, the defense won the Chiefs a regular Week 11 game that could put them on the path to another one.