Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Jamaal Charles remains out with a knee injury, and Spencer Ware was lost to a concussion after seven carries. Then, Alex Smith went down not once but twice with concussion-like symptoms on Sunday, the second hard contact with the Lucas Oil Stadium playing surface causing him to be ruled out in the third quarter for the rest of the day.
But despite injuries to three of their best players, the resilient Kansas City Chiefs rode backup quarterback Nick Foles and outside linebacker Dee Ford to a surprisingly easy 30-14 victory against the struggling Indianapolis Colts.
Foles, who had not thrown a pass this season, came off the bench when Smith suffered the concussion and completed 16 of 22 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, combining with Smith (9 of 19 for 127 yards and a TD) to give the Chiefs 334 passing yards and 422 yards of total offense.
"Today was about a familiarity with the offense," Foles said. "And I get to watch Alex practice every day and watch the way he studies and the way he plays the game, I build a database right there."
Ford had 3 1/2 of the Chiefs' six sacks of Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck, who was outplayed by Foles, completing only 19 of 35 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and two turnovers -- an interception that set up a Kansas City touchdown and a lost fumble.
"He wasn't shy, that's for sure," Chiefs' coach Andy Reid said of Foles' opportunistic performance. "He slung it around pretty good. I also was very proud of the way the defense performed."
Kansas City (5-2), which has won three in a row, got seven catches for 101 yards and a touchdown from tight end Travis Kelce.
"That's obviously the hardest position to have somebody come in and start rolling," Kelce said of Foles' effort. "He doesn't get as many snaps as Alex Smith does, but Nick just went in there and played his tail off. We told him, 'Just go out there and be you, and we've got your back.' We told him that he had 10 other guys out there making things work for him."
Indianapolis (3-5), which has not won consecutive games this season, fell to 2-2 at Lucas Oil Stadium and gained only 277 net yards.
Cairo Santos' 22-yard field goal with 8:00 left gave Kansas City a 27-14 lead, although the Chiefs had a first-and-goal from inside the 1 and had to settle for three points. Santos' 44-yard field goal with 3:35 remaining extended the lead to 30-14.
"Every offensive player feels like he let the team down," an emotional Luck said. "I know I do. It's simple things. On the fumble, I took my eyes off the (shotgun) snap. The interception, I did not throw a very good ball, and the corner made a good break on the ball. We did not do enough to overcome all of that."
Indianapolis cut the deficit to 24-14 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter on Luck's 3-yard touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief. The Colts drove 75 yards in 10 plays to get to within two scores of the Chiefs.
Kansas City increased its lead to 24-7 with 7:34 to play on Foles' 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill, who broke free along the left sideline, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Smith left the game five plays into the drive after hitting his head on the artificial surface for a second time in the game and was ruled out of action with a concussion moments later.
The Chiefs grabbed a 17-7 halftime lead when Smith threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin with 19 seconds remaining in the second quarter, three plays after Kansas City cornerback Phillip Gaines intercepted Luck at the Indianapolis 36-yard line. Smith's 23-yard middle screen pass to Ware set up the TD to Macklin.
"Foles did a phenomenal job," Maclin said. "Everyone knows he is a guy who likes to throw the ball down the field. We were able to do that today."
While the Chiefs could not have been happier, the mood in the Indianapolis locker room was somber.
"Obviously, this is disappointing," Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano said. "We didn't play well in any of the three phases of the game. The same common themes keep coming up. We never got into an offensive rhythm. Then at the end of the first half, we didn't execute and gave up a turnover and a touchdown.
"It was too big to overcome, so we took a step back today. When we take a step in the right direction, we take a step back. Our practices this week were excellent, but then we didn't execute the plan. (Luck) can't have turnovers."
Kansas City took the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards in 12 plays, setting up a 33-yard Santos field goal with 10:20 left in the first quarter. Smith left the game after nine plays after hitting his head on the playing surface while trying to slide.
The Chiefs increased their lead to 10-0 with 12:58 left in the second quarter when Foles -- filling in briefly while Smith was evaluated for a possible concussion -- threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Kelce, capping a six-play, 80-yard drive that included a 49-yard completion to Tyreek Hill to the Colts' 31-yard line.
Indianapolis pulled within 10-7 with 10:07 remaining in the second quarter on Luck's 23-yard touchdown pass to Frank Gore. The Colts moved 63 yards in six plays.
NOTES: QB Andrew Luck struggled in the first half, completing only 9 of 17 passes for 103 yards with an interception and two sacks, compiling a 66.5 rating. ... The Chiefs lost RB Spencer Ware (concussion) and OG Parker Ehinger (knee) in the second half. ... Colts OT Joe Reitz was lost in the fourth quarter with a concussion, WR T.Y. Hilton left the game in the first half with a hamstring pull, and CB Vontae Davis was evaluated for a concussion. ... While QB Alex Smith sat out after hitting his head the first time, QB Nick Foles completed 6 of 9 passes for 85 yards, including a TD pass to TE Travis Kelce. ... Before Sunday's game, the Colts had beaten the Chiefs three consecutive times, including a 45-44 playoff victory on Jan. 4, 2014 in Lucas Oil Stadium.
