On their solution to a Tremendous Bowl look final season, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs may do no incorrect in shut video games, posting an 12-0 document in video games determined by one rating or much less.
But they entered Week 12 of the NFL season simply 5-5 and going through the opportunity of having a shedding document via 11 video games for the primary time since 2012 as a result of the Chiefs had been now not the league’s greatest workforce within the clutch — 0-5 in one-score video games.
That modified, lastly, Sunday in opposition to Indianapolis. Trailing by as many as 11 factors with a minute left within the third quarter, the Chiefs scored the ultimate 14 factors to beat the Colts in time beyond regulation, 23-20.
The win offers Kansas Metropolis (6-5) a 59 p.c likelihood to make the postseason; a loss would have dropped that chance to 31 p.c, in line with NFL statistics.
“That is precisely what we wanted,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated. “…All people made performs once we wanted it.”
The slim win wouldn’t have occurred with no defensive turnaround. After permitting the Colts (8-3) to attain 4 occasions on their first six drives, the Chiefs held them scoreless on their ultimate 4 possessions, all 4 of which resulted in three-and-out and produced simply 13 yards mixed.
The circumstances urged the defensive stand was unlikely. Although Kansas Metropolis ranked eighth-best this season in defensive factors added, and sixth-best on EPA allowed on dropbacks within the fourth quarter and time beyond regulation, Indianapolis posed maybe their most troublesome offensive problem of the season, and led the NFL in yards per sport. Colts working again Jonathan Taylor entered the sport main the NFL in speeding yards, landing runs and whole touchdowns.
However Taylor completed with a season-low 66 yards from scrimmage. And Indianapolis went nowhere over the fourth quarter and time beyond regulation although they weren’t affected by the problems that had cooled their scorching begin. Quarterback Daniel Jones dedicated three turnovers and was sacked 9 occasions in his first eight video games, however in his final three video games had seven turnovers and 12 sacks. The Chiefs did not get a single turnover, or sack, however nonetheless held the Colts to 11 factors decrease than their NFL-leading season common.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo “had an incredible plan defensively in opposition to probably the greatest offenses within the Nationwide Soccer League,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid stated.
Kansas Metropolis has made the playoffs 10 consecutive seasons, the second-longest streak in NFL historical past. Persevering with it was in jeopardy with 4 minutes remaining within the fourth quarter when Kansas Metropolis received the ball again backed up solely two yards from its personal finish zone. When quarterback Patrick Mahomes discovered Rashee Rice for a 47-yard achieve, it elevated the Chiefs’ chance of successful by greater than 20 p.c, per the NFL.
“You may really feel the vitality of the protection, of the stadium, and it was form of that, ‘We’re not going to lose this sport,'” Mahomes stated. “We will discover a solution to win, although not all the pieces has gone our solution to this second, we will discover a approach.”
