SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 23, 2012
Colts 20, Chiefs 13: Andrew Luck struggled all day before capping a long scoring drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 4:08 to play as visiting Indianapolis clinched a playoff berth.
Luck tied a league record with his seventh game-winning drive of the season, moving his team 73 yards in 13 plays as the Colts (10-5) became the fourth team in history to win 10 games following a two-win season and sewed up the No. 5 seed. Luck boosted his season total to 4,183 yards, eclipsing Cam Newton's (4,051) NFL rookie record.
The top overall draft pick failed to connect on 50 percent of his passes (17-of-35, 205 yards) for the fourth consecutive game but he completed his final six on the game-winning drive. Darius Butler also returned an interception for a touchdown for Indy.
The late heroics by Luck enabled Indianapolis to overcome a stellar effort by Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 226 yards and had an 86-yard touchdown run in his team's third straight loss.
Peyton Hillis rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries as Kansas City (2-13) churned out 352 yards on the ground and 507 overall one week after they were limited to 119 total yards in a 15-0 loss to Oakland.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who has been away from the team for three months while being treated for leukemia, will resume his duties on Monday. He received medical clearance Thursday to rejoin the team. ... Wayne had five catches for 81 yards to give him 102 receptions and make him the 14th player in league history to surpass 13,000 career yards. ... Charles had more rushing yards (213) than the Colts (207) had total yards through the first three quarters.