Colts 20, Chiefs 13
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Quarterback Andrew Luck directed the Indianapolis Colts another rung up the NFL ladder in a 20-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
The outcome guaranteed the Colts (10-5) a spot in the AFC playoffs in two weeks. Last season, the Colts went 1-15, putting them in position to draft Luck with the first choice in the 2012 draft.
Luck, who has rewritten the record book for rookie quarterbacks, led the Colts on a 13-play, 73-yard scoring drive that provided the winning points in the fourth quarter. His 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Wayne capped the scoring with 4:08 remaining.
It was Indianapolis' only offensive touchdown of the game, as the Colts struggled to maintain consistency against the Chiefs (2-13).
Kansas City, meanwhile, cut through the Indianapolis defense, piling up 507 offensive yards, but the Chiefs scored just one touchdown. Running back Jamaal Charles ran 86 yards for a third-quarter touchdown, part of an afternoon on which he gained 226 yards on 22 carries.
The story of the Chiefs' season has been turnovers, and another chapter was written Sunday.
In the first quarter, quarterback Brady Quinn threw behind wide receiver Dexter McCluster. The ball was intercepted by Colts cornerback Darius Butler, who returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. The extra point staked Indianapolis to a 7-0 lead with less than five minutes gone in the game.
Kansas City kicked a field goal on its next possession, as Ryan Succop hit a 47-yarder to make the score 7-3.
Indianapolis got those three points back in the second quarter when Adam Vinatieri made a 48-yard field goal. The score was set up on a nice completion from Luck to wide receiver Donnie Avery for 28 yards on third-and-5.
The Chiefs' second giveaway came late in the second quarter when they were driving into scoring territory. Charles had the ball knocked out of his hands by linebacker Pat Angerer. The fumble was recovered by Indianapolis safety Joe Lefeged at the Colts' 22-yard line. Luck hit a couple of long passes, and Vinatieri kicked a 36-yard field goal before the end of the first half to give Indianapolis a 13-3 lead.
In the third quarter, the Chiefs came back to tie the game on Charles' long run and then a 47-yard field goal by Succop.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Indianapolis took possession, and Luck drove the team 73 yards, finding Wayne at the back of the end zone for the touchdown on a third-down play.
For the day, Luck finished with 205 passing yards, completing 17 of 35 attempts.
Quinn went 10-for-22 for 162 yards and two interceptions. Kansas City's Peyton Hillis ran 15 times for 101 yards, teaming with Charles to give the Chiefs a potent ground game.
NOTES: In the second quarter, Luck surpassed the NFL record for passing yardage by a rookie quarterback. The mark was set last year by Carolina's Cam Newton, who threw for 4,051 yards. With his 205 yards against Kansas City, Luck now has 4,183 passing yards. ... Indianapolis was missing five starters because of injury: safety Tom Zbikowski (knee), linebacker Kavell Conner (hamstring), center Samson Satele (ankle), offensive tackle Winston Justice (biceps) and nose tackle Antonio Johnson (ankle) ... Colts free safety Antoine Bethea went past 800 career tackles in the first quarter.
