The Kansas City Chiefs let a 28-point lead slip away in the second half as they let the Indianapolis Colts bounce them from NFL playoffs with a 45-44 win. Injuries are never an excuse, but the Chiefs were dealt a bad hand in this game.
Jamaal Charles left with a concussion on the opening possession. Knile Davis, Charles’ backup, left in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury. Receiver Donnie Avery and cornerback Brandon Flowers were knocked out with second-half concussions, and linebacker Justin Houston was out with a knee injury on the winning pass.
“Anytime you’re leading like that and then have them battle back and then take it, and you end up losing by a point, it’s tough, a tough pill to swallow,” Ales Smith said. The quarterback was 30 of 46 for 378 yards with four TDs and no interceptions but lost a fumble that led to a touchdown for Indy.
This is the eighth straight playoff loss is the longest slump in NFL history.
Despite picking off Colts quarterback Andrew Luck three times, he found ways to battle through his mistakes. He went 29 of 45 for 443 yards. T.Y. Hilton broke franchise playoff records with 13 catches and 224 yards, and also caught two TDs.
Davis finished with 67 yards on 13 carries for the Chiefs. Dwayne Bowe, who helped spark the Chiefs to their 31-10 halftime lead finished the game with eight catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. Bowe had 81 yards in the first quarter, scoring a touchdown. Davis scored two touchdowns including one, early in the third, that increased the lead 38-10.
