KANSAS CITY Quenton Nelson Color Rush Jersey , Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense had heard the chorus of critics all season long, the ones that claimed their sieve-like line and shaky backfield would spoil young superstar Patrick Mahomes and cost them a chance to chase their first Super Bowl appearance in decades.Well, that defense is a big reason why the Chiefs are one step away.With persistent snow turning Arrowhead Stadium into a winter wonderland, the Chiefs successfully shut down Andrew Luck and the potent Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.Mahomes and the rest of their own high-powered offense took care of the rest, rolling to a 31-13 victory in the divisional round to end 25 years of playoff frustration.“We’re such a different team,” said Mahomes, who threw for 278 yards while running for a score. “We have such young players. We have such confidence we’re going to win every single game.”Damien Williams ran through snow and muck for 129 yards and another score, and Tyreek Hill had 72 yards receiving and a touchdown run, as the Chiefs beat Indianapolis for the first time in five playoff meetings to earn their first AFC title game appearance since January 1994.The AFC West champions will play the winner of Sunday’s game between the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl in Atlanta.“We wanted to light up the city,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We didn’t want to take the road down memory lane.”Andrew Luck was held to 203 yards passing for the Colts, while Marlon Mack was a non-factor on the ground. He had 46 yards rushing before leaving late in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.“Was not expecting it to end today,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “We knew we were going up against a very good team, a very well-coached team. It’s hard to lose. It’s hard to lose when you’ve come this far with the team that we have and the guys that we have, so credit to the Chiefs.“They outcoached us, they outplayed us https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Andrew-Luck-Jersey ,” Reich said. “We just gave them too many opportunities.”The Chiefs set out to change history from the opening minutes, when they forced a three-and-out and then waltzed right over a Colts defense that nearly shut out the Texans a week ago. Mahomes and Co. scored on their first three possessions, then again just before halftime, to take a 24-7 lead.If there was any question whether this would be Kansas City’s day, it was answered when Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a 23-yard field-goal try off the upright just before halftime. It was the first time in 22 postseason attempts that he’d missed from that close.Not that the Chiefs thought they had it wrapped up.They’ve had bigger playoff meltdowns against the Colts.There was the 10-7 loss in which Lin Elliott missed three field goals when the Chiefs were the No. 1 seed, and the loss at Arrowhead Stadium in 2003 in which nobody punted. Five years ago, they blew a 38-10 second-half lead against Luck and the Colts to spoil Andy Reid’s first season.Not this time.Not with this Kansas City quarterback.After shattering nearly every franchise passing record, Mahomes picked up right where he left off in his regular-season finale. He led the Chiefs on touchdown drives of 90 and 70 yards to open the game, quickly identified a favorite target in Travis Kelce, and shook off a banged-up knee to scramble for a touchdown late in the first half to give his team a big cushion.Of course, the Chiefs (13-4) didn’t need it the way their defense was playing.The Colts (11-7) went three-and-out on their first four possessions, were outgained 185-12 in the first quarter, and Luck didn’t complete a pass until he found T.Y Hilton early in the second.Their lone bright spot came when Zach Paschal recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown.Even when the Colts caught a break and Sammy Watkins fumbled the ball to them late in the third quarter, they were quick to give it back. Dee Ford stripped Luck and fellow linebacker Justin Houston plopped on the ball, ruining another red-zone opportunity.“It seemed like the rushers were getting there all night Josh Ferguson Jersey ,” Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller said. “Guys sticking coverage, playing good technique, good eyes and things like that.”The Colts finally scored an offensive touchdown with 5:31 left in the game. But in the perfect summation of their lousy afternoon, their erstwhile star kicker missed the extra point.By that point, the party in the stands already had begun.The Chiefs had lost six straight home playoff games, including heartbreakers to Pittsburgh and Tennessee the past two years. But a proud franchise that won its only Super Bowl title with Len Dawson in 1970, and last played for a spot behind Joe Montana, is once more one step away.“I’m just happy for these guys in this locker room,” Kelce said. “Playoff wins are hard to come by, let alone wins in the NFL. So, I mean, it’s just exciting for us to be able to play next week.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj MehtaSNOWBALL FIGHTReid was summoned to the corner of the stadium during the two-minute warning in the first half to implore fans to stop throwing snowballs on the field. Earlier in the half, one almost hit Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez while he was kicking.INJURIESColts: Center Ryan Kelly (knee) left late in the fourth quarter. … FS Malik Hooker (foot) and DE Tyquan Lewis (knee) were inactive, while SS Mike Mitchell (calf) was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. That left the Colts defense without some key pieces.Chiefs: Safety Eric Berry (heel) and running back Spencer Ware (hamstring) were inactive, though Berry — the team’s emotional leader — broke down the pregame huddle in the north end zone.UP NEXTChiefs: Await the Chargers-Patriots winner in the AFC title game.Colts: Begin preparing for April’s draft. The Colts’ performance against the Cowboys was arguably their strongest of the season T.J. Green Color Rush Jersey , with all facets of the team performing at a high level. The Dallas Cowboys were the hottest team in the NFL, winning their last five games, including a win against the Saints. The Colts shut them down on both sides of the ball and even added a blocked field goal on special teams to add an extra whammy on the game. Marlon Mack lead the way on the ground with 27 carries for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. TY Hilton lead the way in the passing game with 5 catches for 85 yards including a couple of fantastic catches. The Colts had a tough time stopping Ezekiel Elliott, but when they took a double-digit lead, the Cowboys were forced to pass more, which hindered his impact. He finished the game with 18 carries for 87 yards and 7 catches for 41 yards. The win moves the Colts to 8-6 and keeps them right in the middle of the playoff hunt. They’ll play the Giants next week followed by what’s looking to be a massive season finale matchup against the Titans. Defense Was in Bend Don’t Break ModeThe defense allowed a lot of yards and had to defend against some long drives early in the game, but they played a stout bend-don’t-break style of defense. In the first quarter, the Colts had a massive goal line stand after a long Cowboys drive. In the second quarter, the Cowboys bled the clock for half the quarter, but the Colts stood strong at the beginning of field goal range and forced the Cowboys to punt. They allowed 159 yards on three drives in the first half, but did not break. Even though the Cowboys held the ball for over 19 minutes in the first half, the Colts allowed no points. It was a very strong defensive performance and their bend-don’t-break mentality in the first half set the tone for a strong overall game. Ryan Kelly’s Return was HugeRyan Kelly’s return sparked a resurgence in the Colts’ running game. Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines had 158 yards on the ground on 33 carries. It’s worth noting that the 4.8 yards per carry doesn’t do the stat justice as the Colts ran the ball most of the time in the latter portion of the 3rd quarter and essentially the entire 4th quarter against a Cowboys defense that stacked the box to stop the run (knowing the Colts were only going to run it with a 20+ point lead). It’s no surprise that Ryan Kelly was often seen opening holes and leading the way for many blocks. There was one play in the 1st half where he pulled and lead blocked for Mack on a 15 yard run, but it was called back because of a bad penalty call. Kelly’s return paid major dividends in the running game.In the passing game, the Colts allowed no sacks and while Luck did feel pressure on several occasions, it’s worth noting that the Cowboys have one of the best front sevens and pass rushers in the NFL https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Matthias-Farley-Jersey , so that would definitely be considered a big win for Kelly and the big boys up front. Balanced Attack Was Key to Strong Play on OffenseThe Colts finished the game with more rushes than pass attempts, and the balance, especially in the entire first half and 3rd quarter were instrumental in the Colts’ victory. By utilizing a balanced attack, they were able to effectively move the ball the entire game against a strong defense. It made third downs easier (they went 8 for 12 on third downs) because they kept the yardage very manageable. Colts Secondary Shut Down Amari CooperAmari Cooper was setting the league on fire. In his last three games, Cooper had 26 catches for 473 yards and 5 touchdowns. Against the Colts, Cooper had only 4 catches for 32 yards and a rush for 11 yards. You can call that a shutdown. The Colts mixed up a few different defensive backs against him, but Desir got a lot of action against him. The Colts, especially on passing downs, shadowed Malik Hooker over the top to ensure that Cooper would not take the lid off the defense. Stopping Cooper was instrumental in stopping Dak Prescott and the Cowboys passing game as their other receivers (Gallup, Hurns and Beasley), failed to separate themselves from the pesky Colts secondary and all had sub-par performances.