Sam Mellinger, at my long-ago former employer, the KC Star, unpacks the dirty details:
"This one had a very playoff-like feel to it, didn’t it?
And not in a good way.
Prime-time, Arrowhead Stadium full and loud and a good-but-inferior visitor winning partly because of superior execution of a very specific game plan and partly due to a series of bad breaks for the Chiefs.
The superior execution: The Indianapolis Colts used their massively strong offensive line to bully the Chiefs’ front, move the ball, drain the clock and keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline.
The bad breaks: A wild run of injuries that included Chris Jones, Anthony Hitchens, Andrew Wylie and Sammy Watkins.
At one point, Mahomes limped off the field, his previously injured ankle stepped on by teammate Cam Erving (who had a rotten day even without that one).
The result: A 19-13 loss that felt like a Frankenstein collection of bits from recent playoff losses to the Titans, Steelers, Patriots and, well, also the Patriots."
Related: These two clear trends are pushing against the Chiefs every week now