Wild Card Afterword: Colts vs Chiefs

Donald Brown had 55 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Even when he
fumbled in the fourth quarter, Luck recovered and carried it for a touchdown.

Cory Puffett

The Indianapolis Colts advance to the divisional round after winning in the unlikeliest of ways.

The Chiefs led 31-10 at halftime. Andrew Luck’s last pass of the first half and first pass of the second half were both interceptions, and Kansas City took a 38-10 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter.

But Indy’s defense finally found its mojo and held Kansas City to just two field goals the rest of the way. Andrew Luck got back to what he did on the Colts opening drive of the game, when he went 7-7 for 74 yards and a touchdown.

T.Y. Hilton was Luck’s primary target. After struggling to establish himself as a consistent threat following Reggie Wayne’s season-ending injury, Hilton caught 13 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets, more than twice as many as any other Colts receiver. That also stands as the third most receiving yards in a single game in NFL postseason history.

To be fair to Kansas City, they had to deal with a lot of injuries. The offense seemed to absorb Jamaal Charles’s concussion just a few plays into the game. But several key defenders went down with injuries during their second half collapse.

Still, with that kind of a lead, there’s no excuse that can fully account for that kind of a blunder. In one of the most exciting playoff games I can remember, maybe even more so than the Packers/Cardinals game a few years back, Andrew Luck and his defense overcame a 28-point deficit to advance in the 2014 playoffs.

If Cincinnati beats San Diego tomorrow, Indianapolis will play in Denver next week. If the Chargers can win in Cincy, the Colts will travel to Foxboro to play the Patriots in the divisional round.

Final Score:

Kansas City Chiefs – 44

Indianapolis Colts – 45