The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Indianapolis Colts in a closely contested 33-30 game that came down to the final possession in overtime. The game was back and forth for most of the evening, but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes elevated his team to victory.
Mahomes put up 382 passing yards and three touchdowns with 32 completions on 47 attempts and a quarterback rating of 114. The game marked the 14th-highest passing yardage total Mahomes has thrown for in his career.
The performance came at the right time as the Chiefs needed every bit of his arm talent and pocket presence to beat the Colts.
Let’s take a look at how he did it.
Settling in
Last week, Mahomes struggled through the game to find any rhythm in his first game back after his ACL injury last season. This week, the Chiefs coaching staff allowed Mahomes to ease himself into the game with some easy completions based on run action looks.
Last week, Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker had a big performance, naturally meaning the Colts defense was ready to attempt to stop him. After an opening burst of 19 yards by Walker, the Chiefs would go to a play-action look on their second play of the game.
On the snap, the linebackers and most of the Colts’ defense would flow toward Walker. With the Chiefs in 13 personnel, this appears to be a run-first look, but Mahomes pulls the ball and quickly finds Xavier Worthy over the middle, who was wide open on a crossing pattern with the Colts looking to defend the boundary against the run.
The pass isn’t spectacular, and maybe even a touch underthrown, but it establishes an easy completion for Mahomes and sets him in the right direction for success.
In a two-by-two set, the Chiefs run a high-low concept with tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Xavier Worthy to attack the Colts’ man coverage. With two corners and a high safety in defense of the combo, Worthy runs the high route holding up the safety and creating space, while Kelce creates just enough separation on his out route to give Mahomes a good window. Mahomes puts some zest on the ball and fires it to Kelce, who turns in stride upfield after the catch. Kelce blasts his way into the end zone to give the Chiefs the lead.
Out of a condensed look, receiver Rashee Rice goes from shifting pre-snap to inserting in the line of scrimmage to run his route, which creates immediate separation from him and the cornerback, while allowing Mahomes to hit him in stride.
Working the pocket
Mahomes was uncomfortable during week one in the pocket and the Denver pass rush, but this week after settling in with some easy throws and building his confidence, he quickly started creating plays himself in the pocket.
On the snap, pressure quickly comes from the interior, but Mahomes is unfazed. By simply sliding away from the pressure and stepping up in the pocket, he avoids the rush completely and keeps his eyes locked in downfield. He uses good anticipation to find the hole in the defense, and fires a pass into Rice for a nice gain.
On the snap, the Colts bring pressure through the backside B-gap, which forces Mahomes to roll ot his right. The pass rush is well coordinated, but Mahomes stayed cool and recognized that Kelce is being covered by a defensive end. The idea is to jam Kelce straight off the line, but Mahomes is buying extra time; this gives Kelce just enough time to create separation and give his quarterback a window to throw.
Deep shots
After not looking to go deep much in Week 1, Mahomes found wideout Tyquon Thornton — his favorite deep target in 2025 — twice downfield this game, resulting in explosive gains.
The Chiefs line up with a trips variation on the left side of the field, and on the snap both Thornton and Worthy run deep routes agaisnt the zone defense on a third-and-medium distance. The defensive backs are playing the sticks, and there is only one true “deep safety”. Worthy pulls the defenders’ attention, but Thornton keeps tracking downfield, and Mahomes fires a dart to set up first down and goal.
Later in the game, the duo would connect once more.
The Colts mixed and matched zone and man coverage all day, and on the snap they attempt to go with man coverage while rushing five. Mahomes hits the top of his drop, and drifts just a bit to buy Thornton to win his route and get to the spot on the deep out. Mahomes puts it on the money, and Thornton holds on despite taking a big shot.
Trusting the team
So many times through the course of his career, Mahomes has played the role of Superman, but on Sunday night, we saw him trust his teammates to help make critical plays down the stretch, specifically Walker.
Late in overtime, the Chiefs needed one yard to pick up a first down and keep the drive alive. Once more, they come out with receivers tight on the line of scrimmage, mimicking their 13-personnel look.
With eye candy from Worthy, Mahomes reverses on the snap and rolls out. With most of the defense set up to play the run and/or stop the speed play, all Mahomes has to do is float a pass over the free rusher’s head to Walker. After securing the catch, Walker turns up field sets them up for the game-winning field goal.
The bottom line
Mahomes was outstanding on Sunday, through a combination of making layups, working the pocket, and connecting on big plays down the field.
The Chiefs offense has been firing the first two weeks of the season, but seeing Mahomes turn in a big performance on Sunday should be a sign to the rest of the NFL that he is well on his way back to prime form.
