Postgame analysis: Colts 20, Chiefs 13
Certainly not the way they drew it up, but the Colts (10-5, 3-2 AFC South) have found themselves in the playoffs. Indianapolis beat Kansas City (2-13, 0-5 AFC West) 20-13 Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed. The Colts will likely match up with the Ravens in two weeks in Baltimore.
Indy was off, for the most part, so the Colts were certainly fortunate to face the hapless Chiefs. However, Jamaal Charles had another monster game, rushing for for 226 yards on just 22 carries. Peyton Hillis also exceeded 100 yards, going for 101 yards on 15 carries.
A late Reggie Wayne touchdown won it for the Colts, who will face the Texans next weekend in Indianapolis.
When the game turned: Frankly, this game was pretty uneventful. However, an 86-yard touchdown run by Charles in the third quarter may have done just enough to wake the Colts up. Indy shut down KC the rest of the way, allowing a late score to clinch the game and a playoff berth.
Highlight moment: Aside from Charles' scamper, not much happened. Wayne's late touchdown clinched it, but there was little that happened worthy of highlight status. Perhaps the biggest highlight came at the final horn when the Colts improbably clinched a playoff berth.
Top shelf performances
- Chiefs RB Charles: 22 carries, 226 yards, 1 TD
- Chiefs RB Hillis: 15 carries, 101 yards
- Colts DB Darius Butler: 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 TD
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What the Colts said about reaching the playoffs
- Safety Antoine Bethea: “At the beginning of the year, there were a new faces, a lot of old faces leaving and there were a lot of people counting this team out. For what this team did and going to the playoffs after a 2-14 season (in 2011) shows how much pride we have in this organization and how the guys in this locker room are.”
- Former interim coach and current offensive coordinator Bruce Arians: “This is probably much more rewarding. I was fortunate enough to call the plays in a two-minute drive to win a Super Bowl, and that was fantastic. To do this job that was handed to me, there's nothing more rewarding.”
Numbers you should know: Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles went absolutely nuts on the Colts defense. It's not the end of the world, necessarily, but Indy will likely be matched up with the Ravens in the playoffs, and a steady dose of Ray Rice could be the Colts' kryptonite.
Going forward: Chiefs -- KC closes the season at Denver in a game that doesn't matter. Colts -- Also meaningless, the Colts will face the Texans in Indianapolis.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Colts blogger Evan Hilbert, follow @CBSColts.
Follow Chiefs reporter C.J. Moore on Twitter@CBSChiefs and @cjmoore4.
