Three plays later, quarterback Matt Ryan found rookie tight end Jelani Woods for his first of two touchdown catches on the day, giving the Colts an early 7-0 lead.
“I was so juiced,” Granson said of that early splash play. “(Special teams coordinator) Bubba (Ventrone) came off the sideline and we had a big ‘ol jump-up. I was freakin’ amped. And then, of course, we go down, get some points on the board — all around, nice. Couldn’t draw it up any better than that.”
That pattern would continue throughout the rest of the ballgame:
» Chiefs kicker Matt Ammendola, filling in for an injured Harrison Butker, missed both an extra-point attempt and a key fourth quarter field goal attempt from 34 yards out, with the Chiefs leading 17-13 midway through the final period. Colts kicker Chase McLaughlin, meanwhile, was a perfect 2-for-2 on both field goals and extra-points, nailing kicks from 43 and 51 yards out, respectively.
» The Colts’ kick coverage teams were on point. Granson downed another terrific Haack punt at the Kansas City 1-yard line later in the first quarter, while the Chiefs started two other drives via kickoff at their own 15- and 12-yard line. Kansas City’s final offensive drive of the day, which ended in a Rodney McLeod Jr. interception, could’ve started at their own 15 had it not been for an unnecessary roughness call on the Colts that pushed them up to their 30.
» Another critical play came early in the fourth quarter, as the Chiefs, leading 17-13, lined up for a would-be 42-yard field goal. Instead, however, they attempted a fake field goal play that featured holder/punter Tommy Townsend drifting to his left and attempting a pass to tight end Noah Gray that sailed high. Even if Gray had caught the pass, an alert Bobby Okereke and Grover Stewart had already sniffed out the fake and had sprinted the tight end’s way to bring him down short of the first-down marker.
“Special teams, you know, is that X-Factor where a big play can really swing momentum,” Okereke…
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