Kansas City Chiefs Rewatch: 2010 week 5 vs Colts

After an early bye in week four, the Kansas City Chiefs hoped to move to 4-0, but it wouldn’t be easy, as their week five opponent was the Indianapolis Colts.

The Kansas City Chiefs started the season 3-0 for the first time since 2003 and looked to keep the ball rolling. Their offense had shown what it could be capable of in a blowout win over San Francisco in week three while the defense also showed how lethal it could be, limiting the 49ers to just three points throughout nearly the entire game before surrendering a last second touchdown.

The Chiefs probably wished they could have played in week four and kept the momentum going, but instead they had an early bye week. They returned to action in week five and were the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL.

Moving to 4-0 would be no cakewalk, as the Chiefs headed to Indianapolis to face the reigning AFC champion Colts, who had lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl just eight months prior. How would this game pan out for the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs?

WEEK 5 VS INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: OCTOBER 10TH, 2010

It didn’t start out well, as Todd Haley decided to gamble big by attempting an onside kick. It did not go in Kansas City’s favor, as the ball didn’t go ten yards before a Chiefs player touched it and that gave Indy the ball on the KC 48-yard line to start the game.

That obviously put the Chiefs defense – which had been playing well to start the season – in a tough spot right off the bat. It wasn’t the smartest move for Haley to gamble that big in a game on the road against a team with a Hall of Fame quarterback, but had it panned out, everyone would have praised the boldness.

The Chiefs defense was able to keep the Colts out of the end zone and Indy had to settle for a field goal instead to make it an early 3-0 Colts lead.

Kansas City then executed a nice offensive drive where they were moving the ball well and decided to go for it on fourth and two, but turned it over on downs. During that drive, there was a funny shot of Peyton Manning sitting on the sidelines looking agitated that his defense couldn’t get off the field.

Manning and company got the ball back deep in their own territory, but that didn’t stop them from marching down the field. They’d once again only muster a field goal.

The Chiefs moved the ball well in the first half, but had zero points to show for it. They went for it on fourth down on their first possession and the next time they were moving the ball well, Jamaal Charles fumbled.

Even with the turnover, the Colts went for it on fourth down, but the Chiefs defense was able to stop them, avoiding disaster. As a result, the Chiefs got the ball back and were able to get in field goal range and knock one through, making it 6-3 Indy heading into the locker room at half time. It could have been 6-6 had Haley decided not to go for it in the first quarter when they could have kicked a field goal.

The second half started with the Chiefs punting (which seemed to be a rarity whenever these two teams played) and then the Colts moved the ball well. Tamba Hali was a wrecking ball during this drive, constantly putting pressure on Manning and at one point forcing a fumble (Indy recovered however). Adam Vinatieri once again converted on the field goal attempt, putting the Colts up 9-3.

On the ensuing Chiefs drive, the offense was looking good with both the rush and the pass doing their part to move things along. KC only came out of that drive with – you guessed it – a field goal and the game of field goals continued on at 9-6.

The Chiefs picked off Manning on the Colts’ next possession and it looked like they’d take the lead, but Dwayne Bowe couldn’t come down with the Matt Cassel pass that would have gone for a touchdown. Bowe then dropped another pass to make it third and long. Dexter McCluster dropped the third Cassel pass attempt to make for a frustrating drive and Ryan Succop tied the game at nine points a piece.

That would be it for the Chiefs offense when it came to scoring points unfortunately, as they flamed out after that drive. Indianapolis, however, scored ten more points including a crucial touchdown by Mike Hart with four minutes remaining in the game, making it a ten point Indy lead late in the fourth quarter.

Both the offense and defense played well for Kansas City, but the offense’s inability to find the end zone cost them what could have been a potential victory. They were handed their first loss of the 2010 season and once again were defeated by Peyton Manning.

REMEMBER THAT GUY?

• Jon McGraw had the Manning interception.
• “Get his name down and submit it in there” – One of the broadcasters about Tony Moeaki. It does feel like Moeaki could have been a special player had he been able to stay healthy.
• Joseph Addai and Mike Hart both had 50 yards rushing each. Hart had the game’s only touchdown.
• No receiver had an insane day, but Reggie Wayne led everyone in yardage with 75 off of six catches.

There were plenty of positives in this game. The defense was spectacular and held Peyton Manning to zero touchdowns while picking him off once. It was obvious how frustrated Manning was that the Colts had to keep settling for field goals.

The offense had their moments, but not being able to find  the end zone was costly. They lost this game by ten points, but never truly felt out of the game. If only they had been able to find the end zone just once – They might have won this game if so!

When the dust settled, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their first game in 2010 and moved to 3-1 on the year while the Colts were 3-2 (they hadn’t had their bye week yet).

Next up: Week 6 vs Texans (3-2)