The Chiefs defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 in Arrowhead in the divisional round. Whichever way you want to slice it, the Chiefs flat out embarrassed the Colts. The score makes this game look far closer than it was. Along with being outmatched talent-wise, it seems as if the national media attention got to the Colts, who beat themselves all night. Andrew Luck was off, Frank Reich called a horrible game, and the defense killed any chance the had of limiting the Chiefs with countless debilitating penalties. The Colts are young and should be proud of this season but this performance was obscene all around.

Patrick Mahomes was absolutely unstoppable today, making whatever throw he wanted, whenever he wanted. It looked like the Chiefs were playing in a dome and the Colts were playing in a blizzard. Mahomes didn’t throw for a touchdown but passed for 278 yards and rushed for a score; he was in command for the entire game. The Chiefs offensive line had a magnificent day; Damien Williams bludgeoned the Colts for 129 yards and a touchdown. The combination of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce was simply too much for the Colts’ defense, combining for 180 yards on 15 catches and a rushing score from Hill.

The Colts offense was helpless all night. They only put together one drive at the end of the first half which ended in an Adam Vinatieri missed chip shot. He missed an extra point late as well. Andrew Luck’s worst enemy, bad weather, reared it’s ugly head again. He passed for 196 yards on 18 completions, with a late garbage-time touchdown pass. Something was certainly up with Andrew Luck; he did not look like the MVP caliber quarterback that we have seen this season. The offensive line played a well below average game but folded in the fourth quarter, allowing a sack fumble. The worst run defense in the NFL locked down Marlon Mack, holding him to 46 yards on 9 carries.

Eric Ebron clearly thought he was wearing powder blue for most of the game. Frank Reich called a poor game: he called the wrong plays in the wrong situations and uncharacteristically lost sight of his aggressiveness with some inexcusably bad decisions, such as punting down 17 on fourth and one. The lone bright spot was Dontrelle Inman, who was the only source of life on the Colts’ offense. He caught four passes for 55 yards. T.Y. Hilton showed up late, catching a touchdown. The Colts’ hopes and dreams ended in embarrassing fashion, with a running into the kicker penalty. The Colts had a chance to win this game; their defense played well in the second half. But the Colts beat themselves today–they had two teams playing against them–and made too many mistakes to give themselves a shot late.

The Colts’ defense looked helpless early in the game but settled into the game in the third quarter, managing some stops. Darius Leonard even made a huge play, forcing a fumble which set up the Colts in enemy territory. The penalties were absolutely killer, as the Colts jumped offsides over and over again. In total, the Colts amassed 10 penalties for 70 yards on the day. Kenny Moore had another nice game, recording 11 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two QB hits, and a pass deflection.

Despite the sour taste this loss will put in the mouths of the Colts and their fans, this season has been overwhelmingly positive. Nobody expected the Colts to be playing in a divisional playoff game, let alone have a winning record. The Colts are not as talented as the Chiefs but are light years ahead of schedule in terms of their rebuild. With another good offseason, Chris Ballard could have the Colts in Super Bowl contention for the next few seasons.

It was a fun season covering the Colts and I can’t wait to come back and do it again for the third season. The Colts were playing with house money in this game, really. And if one thing is true from the season, though, it is this: the horseshoe is back.

Ben Pfeifer is the Managing Editor of the Colts for Full Press Coverage, the AFC South Division Editor, and head NBA editor. Want to continue the discussion? Contact Ben Pfeifer on Twitter @Ben_Pfeifer_, @FPC_NBA and @FPC_Colts.

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