National Football League

Foles lifts Chiefs past Colts 30-14

Published Oct. 30, 2016 7:18 p.m. ET

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes in relief of the injured Alex Smith to help the Kansas City Chiefs hold off Indianapolis 30-14 on Sunday.

It was a rough game for the Chiefs, who lost Smith twice after hits to the head and finished the game with Charcandrick West as their only healthy running back.

Smith was checked for a concussion in the first half and cleared to return, which he did in the second quarter. He left again early in the third quarter after Clayton Geathers shoved Smith's head to the turf as the quarterback tried to slide underneath the tackle.

Smith was then diagnosed with a concussion and did not return.

Somehow, both quarterbacks kept the Chiefs' offense in sync.

Foles' 14-yard TD pass to Travis Kelce early in the second quarter made it 10-0. Smith made it 17-7 at halftime with a 13-yard TD pass to Jeremy Maclin, and after Smith's second departure, Foles hooked up with Tyreek Hill on a 34-yard scoring pass for a 24-7 lead.

This time, the Chiefs (5-2) prevented Andrew Luck from pulling off another comeback - similar to the previous time these teams met in January 2014.

Luck has three come-from-behind wins this season and tried to deliver another one Sunday. but never got close enough to make it a serious threat.

Foles was 16 of 22 for 223 yards with no interceptions.

Luck finished 19 of 35 with 210 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and one fumble lost for the Colts (3-5).

SOCIAL MEDIA CONCERN

The social media traffic about the hits on Smith came from all corners. Some fans questioned whether Geathers intentionally drove Smith's head into the turf to knock him out of the game. Former Colts linebacker Gary Brackett wrote on Twitter that whoever cleared Smith to return should be fired, while the television announcers questioned the play call because of Smith's previous injury. Even Smith's wife, Elizabeth, piped in - questioning how many hits it takes to draw a flag. Smith took several hits to the head in last week's game that weren't called.

TROUBLE WITH TRAVIS

Travis Kelce exposed an old flaw in the Colts' defense, covering tight ends. The Colts struggled with that all of last season, and Kelce took advantage again Sunday. He matched his season high with six receptions in the first half and finished with seven catches for 101 yards, both season highs.

SLOW START

After better starts each of the past two weeks, the Colts reverted to their old form against the Chiefs. Not only did they trail 17-7 at halftime, they were lucky it wasn't worse given that Kansas City had a 4 1/2-minute advantage in time of possession in the first half, settled for a 33-yard field goal and missed a 28-yarder.

INJURY REPORT

Chiefs: In addition to Smith, starting running back Spencer Ware missed the second half with a concussion. Ware started in place of Jamaal Charles , who was inactive because of swelling in his surgically repaired knee. Left guard Parker Ehinger also left in the second half with a right knee injury and did not return.

Colts: The Colts began the game without three starters and got hit even harder during the game. Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis and right tackle Joe Reitz both left with concussions and did not return. Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton returned after hurting his hamstring, but struggled. And receiver Phillip Dorsett left with an undisclosed injury on the second to last play of the game.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

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