How Matt Ammendola, Chiefs’ special teams mistakes cost Kansas City in stunning loss vs. Colts

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The Chiefs were widely expected to beat the Colts in Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season. After all, Indianapolis was just 0-1-1 after two games and was coming off a 24-0 loss to the Jaguars.

So, surely the Chiefs would have no trouble beating them, right? Not quite.

The Colts managed to beat the Chiefs in their home opener on Sunday 20-17. The Chiefs actually outgained the Colts 315-259 and were able to get plenty of pressure on Matt Ryan during the contest.

So, how did Kansas City lose? Well, an uncharacteristically bad day on special teams played a large part in the team’s defeat.

Usually, the Chiefs have one of the strongest special teams units in the NFL. They are coached by well-respected coordinator Dave Toub and ranked fourth in Rick Gosselin’s special teams rankings for 2021.

But on Sunday, they made numerous mistakes that ended up costing them dearly. Here’s a rundown of the four biggest special teams miscues that played a role in Kansas City’s loss to the Colts.

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Skyy Moore’s muffed punt leads to Colts TD

The Colts didn’t get off to a good start in their win over the Chiefs. They went three-and-out on their first possession and gained just five yards. The good news was that Matt Haack hit a nice punt that looked poised to pin the Chiefs inside their own 10-yard line.

In even better news for the Colts, the punt was muffed by Chiefs rookie Skyy Moore. He tried to grab the ball while moving sideways, but it slid through his hands. He couldn’t locate it after that and backup tight end Kylen Granson came in and recovered it at the 4-yard line.

From there, the Colts were able to get into the end zone. Matt Ryan found rookie tight end Jelani Woods for a 1-yard touchdown.

That score gave the Colts the early advantage and it also made Moore a bit insecure in his role as a return man. He elected not to field a punt later in the game for fear of muffing it and it rolled down to the 1-yard line.

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Matt Ammendola misses an extra point

The Chiefs managed to answer the Colts’ score by the end of the first quarter. At that time, they were supposed to tie the game at 7-all.

However, their backup kicker Matt Ammendola couldn’t make that happen. Stepping in for Harrison Butker, who is out with an ankle injury, Ammendola fared well in his first outing with the team but missed his first kick, the extra point, on Sunday. That ensured that the Chiefs would remain down 7-6.

This kick didn’t ultimately prove costly for the Chiefs, but it could have. Andy Reid decided to chase points after Kansas City’s second touchdown by going for a 2-point conversion instead of kicking an extra point with a 12-10 lead.

The Chiefs converted, but Travis Kelce made it into the end zone by mere inches on the try. There was a lengthy review of the play and it looked like Kelce may have been short, but the ruling on the field stood without conclusive evidence to overturn it.

The miss didn’t just cause the Chiefs to chase points. It may also have played a role in the Chiefs’ decision-making later in the contest as they weighed their confidence in Ammendola.

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Chiefs try fake field goal but fail to convert

The Chiefs took a risk in the early stage of the fourth quarter while leading 17-13. Instead of attempting a 42-yard field goal on fourth-and-11, they faked it and tried to throw a pass to tight end Noah Gray.

It looked like the backup tight end may have been open momentarily early in the play. However, the holder — punter Tommy Townsend — wasn’t able to get the ball off in time. As a result, the pass fell to the ground, incomplete.

It’s unclear whether the decision by Toub and Andy Reid had anything to do with Ammendola’s early missed extra point. It’s possible that the team had drawn up the fake specifically for the game against the Colts.

“Yeah, that’s probably one that I shouldn’t have called,” Reid told reporters following the game. 

Still, that it came during a game where Ammendola struggled is notable. It could signal that the Chiefs are lacking confidence in Ammendola; that would be a bad sign considering that they usually have one of the most trustworthy kickers in the game when Butker is healthy.

Matt Ammenolda misses a 34-yard field goal

The Chiefs did let Ammendola attempt a few kicks during the contest. He made a field goal in the second half of the contest and got a chance to extend the Chiefs’ 17-13 lead to 20-13 with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter.

However, after making his first field goal, he wasn’t able to nail this one. The 34-yard attempt sailed wide left and gave the Colts a chance to mount a game-winning touchdown drive. They were able to convert, using 8:14 of game time to get the winning score to Woods.

The kicks that Ammendola missed on Sunday amounted to a total of four points in the Chiefs’ three-point loss. Clearly, they proved costly.

Of course, Ammendola’s miscues — and those of the Chiefs’ special teams — are not alone responsible for the Chiefs’ defeat in Indianapolis. Still, they are a major area of improvement for Kansas City as it prepares to face the Buccaneers in Week 4.

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