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Travis Kelce sets NFL record as Chiefs survive Colts in overtime thriller
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- Travis Kelce sets NFL record as Chiefs survive Colts in overtime thriller
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The Kansas City Chiefs are 2-0 after another overtime escape, but Travis Kelce supplied the night's biggest historical moment. Kelce caught 9 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 20. His production helped Kansas City survive a 33-30 thriller at Arrowhead Stadium.
During the game, Kelce passed Marshall Faulk for the NFL's career yards-after-catch record. Patrick Mahomes also delivered a huge performance, throwing for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns. Harrison Butker ended the game with a 40-yard field goal in overtime. The result kept Kansas City perfect while pushing Kelce deeper into NFL history.
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Kelce turned a strong night into NFL history
Kelce entered the Colts game needing to build on a productive opener against Denver . He had 3 catches for 71 yards in the 31-10 victory, then became a much larger part of Kansas City's passing attack against Indianapolis.
The tight end finished with 9 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown, giving him 172 receiving yards through 2 games. NFL.com noted that it was the first time since Week 7 of the 2023 season that Mahomes topped 300 passing yards while Kelce recorded at least 100 receiving yards in the same game.
The record came from a part of Kelce's game that has defined his career beyond his reception totals. He entered Sunday with 6,221 career yards after the catch and surpassed Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk's previous mark of 6,230 during the victory.
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Mahomes and Kelce revived a familiar connection
Mahomes was just as important to Kansas City's comeback and late-game execution. He completed 32 of 47 passes for 382 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions, producing a 114.0 passer rating against an Indianapolis defense that repeatedly forced the Chiefs into difficult situations.
Kelce's touchdown came on a 13-yard reception and gave him his first score of the 2026 season. His 101-yard performance also marked his first regular-season 100-yard receiving game since Week 9 of the 2024 season, adding context to the sudden statistical surge.
The Chiefs entered the season coming off a 6-11 campaign in 2025, so the 2-0 opening has created a different early-season atmosphere around Mahomes and Kelce. Their Week 2 production showed that the familiar quarterback-tight end combination can still produce a major impact when Kansas City needs it.
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The Colts pushed Kansas City to the limit
Indianapolis refused to let the game become a comfortable Chiefs victory. Jonathan Taylor scored 2 rushing touchdowns, including a 5-yard score that tied the game at 27 in the fourth quarter. Kansas City then punted, and Indianapolis failed to score on its final possession before regulation ended, sending the matchup into overtime.
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The extra period became a second drama of its own. Indianapolis appeared to put itself in position to win when Laquon Treadwell caught a 48-yard pass and moved the Colts into the red zone, but Nohl Williams punched the ball out and L'Jarius Sneed recovered.
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The apparent turnover was reviewed, and officials ruled Treadwell down by contact before the ball came loose. Indianapolis retained possession but eventually settled for a game-tying field goal, giving Kansas City another possession.
Fun fact:Kansas City has now won 6 consecutive overtime games, according to FOX Sports, with its last overtime loss coming against Cincinnati in the 2021 AFC Championship Game.
Butker finished another overtime escape
Kansas City had already beaten Indianapolis in overtime the previous season. The Chiefs defeated the Colts 23-20 on Harrison Butker's game-winning field goal in November 2025, and the 2026 rematch again required overtime.
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Kenneth Walker III provided a major offensive spark, finishing with 117 rushing yards on 24 carries and adding 6 catches for 61 yards. On Kansas City's first overtime possession, Mahomes connected with Tyquan Thornton for a 30-yard gain before Butker kicked a 31-yard field goal to put the Chiefs ahead.
Indianapolis answered with a field goal to tie the game at 30. Kansas City then drove again, with Walker turning a short pass into a 22-yard gain that helped set up Butker's 40-yard field goal as overtime expired, securing the 33-30 victory.
Kansas City improved to 2-0, while Indianapolis fell to 0-2 after opening its season with a 41-23 loss to Baltimore . The Chiefs next visit Miami in Week 3, while the Colts return home to face Houston .
Kelce's fast start changes the early-season conversation
Kelce's production through 2 games stands at 12 catches for 172 yards and 1 touchdown. That follows a 2025 season in which he finished with 76 receptions for 851 yards and 5 touchdowns, numbers that were below the extraordinary peaks of his earlier Kansas City seasons.
Source: Image Press Agency/Depositphotos
His record night against Indianapolis also added another milestone to a career already filled with postseason and receiving achievements. Kelce now sits atop the NFL's career yards-after-catch list, passing a Hall of Fame running back in a category that rewards both quarterback trust and a receiver's ability to create after the catch.
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The milestone also highlights how unusual Kelce's longevity has become at tight end, where sustained production across more than a decade has allowed him to challenge records accumulated by players at several positions. Mahomes, meanwhile, has thrown for 566 yards and 5 touchdowns through 2 games.
The Chiefs have another challenge ahead when they visit the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 27. Kansas City's undefeated start, Mahomes' 382-yard performance and Kelce's record-setting production have combined to make the first 2 weeks of the season notably different from the team's 2025 opening stretch.
TL;DR
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Travis Kelce set the NFL career yards-after-catch record against Indianapolis.
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Kelce caught 9 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in Kansas City's 33-30 overtime win.
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Patrick Mahomes threw for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception.
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Harrison Butker won the game with a 40-yard overtime field goal.
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Kansas City improved to 2-0, while Indianapolis dropped to 0-2.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
