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KANSAS CITY [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Pierre-Desir-Jersey]Pierre Desir Color Rush Jersey[/url] , Mo. (AP) — The popularity of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has soared into the stratosphere in just over one season as the starter, each no-look or left-handed passes drawing a fresh chorus of acclaim.It’s not just the fans that are the fans, either.“It’s kind of cool to see some of the stuff he does,” said Colts counterpart Jacoby Brissett, who will get to see Mahomes first-hand when his team heads to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night. “Hopefully he doesn’t do it this week, but the things he can do with the ball, it’s very impressive.”So impressive that Brissett even said, rather sheepishly: “You just watch and you’re like, ‘Yeah, I can’t do that.’ But it’s fun to see somebody else.”Brissett isn’t alone, either.It seems just about every coach tasked with slowing down the league MVP, or defensive guy forced to make a play against him, is simultaneously challenged and in awe by what Mahomes can do.That’s not exactly common in a league predicated on one-upsmanship, where players by their very competitive nature are often unwilling to admit that somebody else is better than them.“He’s legit,” said Ravens defensive back Brandon Carr, who had just watched him slice up the Baltimore secondary. “He leads the team. He can make all the throws. He’s confident. He gets the ball up and down the field. And he can extend plays with his legs. He’s an elite quarterback.”Raiders cornerback Lamarcus Joyner was just as blunt _ and effusive _ in his appraisal after watching Mahomes lead the Chiefs to a victory in Oakland.“He’s a hell of a quarterback,” Joyner said. “He’s arguably the No. 1 quarterback in the league. He got a little Tom Brady to him, a little Drew Brees look, Philip Rivers. He’ll challenge you. He can make the throws, he can scramble around, so I mean, you have to cover guys a little bit longer.”There have been guys like Mahomes over the years that have garnered such respect from their play on the field and persona off it that even their biggest rivals can’t help but applaud. They tend to go down in history as larger-than-life characters [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Kemoko-Turay-Jersey]https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Kemoko-Turay-Jersey[/url] , a unique combination of talent and personality.Joe Namath was that way back in the 1960s and 1970s, when Broadway Joe brashly predicted a Super Bowl triumph for the Jets, briefly owned a New York nightclub and made so many ladies swoon.Steelers defensive star Joe Greene was that way in the late ‘70s, too. His nickname “Mean Joe” was contrasted by that broad smile in his famous Coca-Cola commercial, making him thousands of fans far beyond Pittsburgh. And with four Super Bowl rings, there was no disputing his success.Then there was Walter Payton, who was so popular among fans and rivals alike that the Man of the Year award carries his name. Sure, he was the record-setting running back of the Chicago Bears, but he also exhibited such “sweetness” that even Packers and Vikings fans usually respected him.Mahomes is following the same road toward popularity.He’s doing it faster than usual, too.The other thing that Namath and Co. had in their favor was longevity. They plied their trade at the highest levels for years on end, and Mahomes has only been in the NFL crosshairs for 18 months.“He’s a unique talent,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “He’s fun to watch, I’m not going to lie. Last week when we were playing the Raiders, I was watching a lot of Kansas City’s offense against them and he made a couple throws that you just shake your head and you say, ‘How do you do that?’ So we respect that. And like I’ve said before, I also respect who he is off the field. I think it’s great for the league when you’ve got players that are that good but also are really pros on and off the field.”Reich paused before adding: “But make no mistake, everybody can be beat in this league. Everybody can be beat _ I don’t care how good you are. He’s great, but this is a team game.”Notes: WR Tyreek Hill (collarbone) and RB Damien Williams (ankle) continued to practice on a limited basis Thursday. It remains unclear whether either will play against the Colts. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Colts finally got their offense going against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the first half Saturday, driving deep downfield with an opportunity to bite into their deficit.Andrew Luck scrambled out of bounds with a few seconds left, and Colts coach Frank Reich sent one of the most reliable kickers in NFL history out to attempt a 23-yard chip-shot field goal.Adam Vinatieri doinked it off the left upright .Instead of taking some momentum into the locker room on a cold, snowy afternoon [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Anthony-Castonzo-Jersey]Anthony Castonzo Jersey[/url] , the Colts trudged there facing a 24-7 deficit. They wouldn’t score on offense until Luck connected with T.Y. Hilton with 5:31 left in the game, and by that point the Chiefs were skating toward a victory.They wound up winning 31-13 to reach their first AFC title game since January 1994.“It was tough conditions out there I think for kicking,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “I don’t know the specifics, but it was just one of those days. It was all three phases. It seemed like that was indicative of we were going to make a mistake like that in all three phases.”Meanwhile, the Chiefs ended years of postseason disappointments against Indianapolis, including two playoff losses at home. There was the game Lin Elliott missed three field goals, the infamous no-punt game, and the night five years ago that Luck rallied Indianapolis from a 38-10 second-half hole.He wasn’t able to engineer another comeback this time.Vinatieri, meanwhile, was a microcosm of a day in which little went right. Even when the Colts finally made the end zone, the veteran of 27 previous playoff games proceeded to miss the extra point.“That’s a momentum swing. Needing those points going into half, I didn’t come through for us,” he said. “The second one was just, I don’t know. I’ll go back and look at that one.”Luck, whose offensive line had kept him remarkably clean during a five-game win streak, spent the entire game with linebackers Dee Ford and Justin Houston in his face. He was sacked three times, hit twice that many, and had what seemed like a dozen passes batted at the line of scrimmage.He finished 19 of 36 for 203 yards and a score, and left with his No. 12 jersey caked in mud.Marlon Mack fared no better on the ground as the Colts were forced to play from behind from the opening minutes. After running for a franchise playoff-record 148 yards last week against Houston, he was held to 46 yards rushing by the league’s worst run defense, and ultimately left with a hip injury with the game decided late in the fourth quarter.“All of us had a fair amount of confidence coming into the game that we could do something,” Luck said. “and we didn’t. And we know this game punishes you quickly. We know how hard it is for everybody to be on the same page every play. And we weren’t [url=https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Ryan-Kelly-Jersey]Ryan Kelly Color Rush Jersey[/url] , and it shows up in the final score.”The Colts’ defense, so pivotal in their rebound from a 1-5 start, had no answers for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ vast array of offensive options. They allowed Kansas City to score on its first three possessions, and at one point the Colts were being outgained 185-12.The Chiefs’ Damien Williams, who at one point was the No. 3 running back in Kansas City, gouged a Colts defense that had not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season for 129 yards and a score.Tight end Travis Kelce, who feasts on cover-two defenses, made Indianapolis pay for its gaps downfield. He caught seven passes for a game-high 108 yards, several of them to convert first downs.Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, one of the fastest players in the NFL, kept running away from would-be tacklers. Hill caught eight passes for 72 yards, took a 36-yard sweep for a touchdown, and set the tone with his energetic pregame warmup and circus-style introduction.Even when the Colts defense did make a play, such as Darius Leonard’s strip and recover of Sammy Watkins‘ fumble deep in Kansas City territory, their offense failed to capitalize. Luck fumbled the ball right back to foil an opportunity to close within 24-14 late in the third quarter.They wound up never getting that close the rest of the way.“We keep using this illustration of climbing the mountain, Mount Everest,” Reich said. “What we said in there was it’s hard to climb Mount Everest your first time that you go to climb it. We didn’t make it all the way to the top this year, but we made it up that mountain pretty far.”