KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Indianapolis Colts' highly anticipated matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs ended in disappointing fashion Sunday, likely fueling doubts about their team, their quarterback and their ability to make a deep playoff run.
But for all of those reasons, Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss was exactly what the Colts needed, according to cornerback Charvarius Ward.
"We needed a game like this, a hard-fought game, an old-time game against a Super Bowl team," said Ward, who returned Sunday from a four-game stint on injured reserve. "I think we're a Super Bowl-contending team, too, as well. So, we needed this type of game for sure."
For a team that enjoyed a sizable lead in its division and the best record in the AFC for most of the season, two losses in the past three games have made things much tighter for the Colts (8-3). They face a difficult stretch to finish the season as they try to win the AFC South for the first time since 2014. Their remaining slate includes two games against the Texans and their top-ranked defense, two games against division rival Jaguars (the Colts haven't won in Jacksonville since 2014) and games against Seahawks and 49ers.
But beating stiff competition is the only way to get where they want to go, the Colts said Sunday.
"[The Chiefs] made championship-level plays and we've got to be better if we're going to be the type of team we want to be this year," linebacker Zaire Franklin said.
"The reality of the situation is we're going to play high-level teams and the game's going to come down to 2-minute [situations] at the end of the game. So, anytime you've got an opportunity to play against a great quarterback, great coach in those types of environments, obviously you want to win. But you want to come out from it learning from it and growing from it."
The Colts lost after taking an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter. They went three-and-out on offense on three consecutive possessions. That left the their defense to fend off Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which did not end well.
The Colts ran nine offensive plays in the fourth quarter. Only one was a handoff to NFL rushing leader Jonathan Taylor. Quarterback Daniel Jones completed just two of his eight pass attempts, and the Colts possessed the ball for only three minutes and 14 seconds. The finished with 255 total yards and 10 first downs -- both season lows.
The Chiefs had 13 combined first downs in the fourth quarter and overtime alone.
"We've got to be better," coach Shane Steichen said. "I've got to be better."
Taylor rushed 16 times for 58 yards, his second-lowest total of the season. Should he have gotten the ball more?
"There probably could have been some opportunities," he said. "But, like I said, we have to give Daniel [Jones] time. We've got to be in our right spot for Daniel. We have to protect well. So, it's accumulation of a lot of things."