For four quarters and a bit of extra time, Sunday night at Arrowhead felt less like a football game and more like a tug-of-war.
The Indianapolis Colts came out swinging, landed the first punch, and forced the Kansas City Chiefs to play from behind. Patrick Mahomesand the Chiefs answered, but every time Kansas City looked ready to seize control, Indianapolis responded. The lead changed hands, momentum swung back and forth and neither side could create the kind of separation that usually settles a game before the fourth quarter.
Travis Kelce made his presence felt in a big way. It was a throwback performance for the future Hall of Famer.
Mahomes repeatedly found his longtime target when Kansas City needed a spark, including a touchdown that briefly
put the Chiefs ahead. But the Colts refused to go away, and Jonathan Taylor helped Indianapolis erase another deficit and push the game into a tense finish.
Andy Reid’s Chiefs had chances to close it out. So did the Colts.
Instead, after seven lead changes, the game marched into overtime. And when the pressure was highest, Mahomes, Reid, and the Chiefs had one final opportunity to decide whether Sunday night would end in celebration.
So, did the Chiefs survive the chaos at Arrowhead? Or did the Colts stun the Kansas City faithful?
Who won 'Sunday Night Football' game last night?
The Kansas City Chiefs won the Week 2 "Sunday Night Football" game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Kansas City outlasted Indianapolis in overtime, 33-30, on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 2.
FINAL: The @Chiefs walk it off in OT to improve to 2-0 on the season! pic.twitter.com/haZoWw7gYY
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2026
Chiefs vs Colts takeaways
Analysis from USA TODAY Sports' Jack McKessy:
- Patrick Mahomes is back. The Chiefs' star quarterback looked shaky in his first game back from a knee injury that ended his 2025 season early. He finished his 2026 debut with 184 passing yards and a completion rate of just 55.6%. Week 2's performance against the Colts looked much more like vintage Mahomes: 382 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a 68% completion rate. His most significant throw of the night was a deep heave to receiver Tyquan Thornton for a 45-yard gain. It was his deepest completion of the season so far, yes, but it was also perfectly placed ahead of a couple of Colts defenders, making Thornton the only person who could have made a play on the ball. He also made a similar throw to Thornton for 30 yards in overtime.
- The Colts made the Chiefs defense look vulnerable. Last week's "Monday Night Football" game stood out because the Denver Broncos offense looked so limited against Kansas City. Their 176 yards of total offense was the fewest of any team in a Week 1 that was otherwise the highest-scoring opening week in NFL history. But the Colts were prepared for Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's scheming. Running back Jonathan Taylor continued to play like the star he is, gashing Kansas City for 92 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. When Indianapolis needed quarterback Daniel Jones to win with his arm on key passing downs, he often did. The Chiefs did not sack Jones once (though they did come away with a key pressure on the final third down of regulation). For the most part, it was exactly the kind of performance Indy's offense needed after a disappointing Week 1 loss – and exactly the kind of defensive performance from Kansas City that will give analysts pause before declaring them AFC West champs or AFC title contenders.
- Kenneth Walker is great... but the Chiefs might also have something in Emmett Johnson. Even with Mahomes' flashy return to prominence, Walker was once again a big star in the Chiefs' offense. He finished with 117 rushing yards on 24 carries – an average of 4.9 yards per carry. But Johnson, the Chiefs' rookie fifth-round pick, looked stellar on his limited number of touches (four). The young running back was both a physical runner – slamming through defenders when he needed to – and an evasive runner – showing off finesse with a couple of really nice juke moves to avoid would-be tacklers. Walker will still be the focal point of the Chiefs' rushing attack until proven otherwise, but Johnson is looking like a great late-round pickup through two games so far.
Who plays tonight on Monday Night Football?
The Los Angeles Rams (0-1), led by reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, host Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants (1-0) to wrap up Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. The game will be played at SoFi Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
Sunday Night Football schedule 2026
- Week 1: Giants 28, Cowboys 20
- Week 2: Chiefs 33, Colts 30 (OT)
- Week 3: Rams at Broncos, Sept. 27, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 4: Lions at Panthers, Oct. 4, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 5: Ravens at Falcons, Oct. 11, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 6: Cowboys at Packers, Oct. 18, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 7: Chiefs at Seahawks, Oct. 25, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 8: Eagles at Commanders, Nov. 1, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 9: Buccaneers at Bears, Nov. 8, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 10: Steelers at Bengals, Nov. 15, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 11: Vikings vs. 49ers (Mexico City), Nov. 22, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 12: Patriots at Chargers, Nov. 29, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 13: Texans at Steelers, Dec. 6, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 14: Bills at Packers, Dec. 13, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 15: Lions at Vikings, Dec. 20, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 16: Jaguars at Cowboys, Dec. 27, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 17: Eagles at 49ers, Jan. 3, 2027, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- Week 18: TBD, Jan. 10, 2027, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Chiefs beat Colts? 'Sunday Night Football' OT winner, final score last night
