Patrick Mahomes looked more like himself.

The late-game fortune looked pretty reminiscent, too.

The Chiefs used the best outing from Mahomes in more than two years for a 33-30 overtime win against the Colts in a game built for Sunday Night Football.

Here are five observations from immediately after a great game at Arrowhead Stadium:

1. The star is back

The Patrick Mahomes return from knee surgery took nine months.

The return to form took nine months — and a week.

Mahomes was terrific — statistically as good as he’s been in more than two years — after a rusty outing in the season opener against the Broncos.

He finished with 382 yards and three touchdowns passing — and effectively evaded pressure — in guiding an offense that topped 500 yards. It’s his most yardage in a game since 2023.

The overtime helped the stats, sure. But the film looked good throughout.

It’s been a while since Mahomes has looked that comfortable — a comment that has a lot more to do with the Chiefs offensive help than it does the health of his knee.

2. A defensive sigh of relief

The Chiefs are young defensively.

The Chiefs are inexperienced defensively.

The growing pains arrived a week later than expected.

The Chiefs held the Colts to a field goal in overtime, and they prevented the Colts from pushing for the game-winning drive in regulation.

They got two key stops — but not many others.

The Colts ran the ball efficiently. They threw the ball efficiently. And the Chiefs offered some penalty yardage, to boot.

It’s pretty easy to find the reason: The Chiefs couldn’t get to Colts quarterback Daniel Jones.

A week after the Chiefs made life hell for Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, Jones was prepared for every blitz, and the Chiefs couldn’t pressure him with just four rushers. Some of Jones’ best throws came out quick, on third-down slants, to keep drives alive.

The Colts weren’t even at full-strength offensively. Alec Pierce, their top wideout, left injured in the first quarter.

It’s a young Chiefs defense group. It’s a defense with some potential. But there will be some pains.

There were plenty Sunday.

3. The big play is back?

Some 22 teams completed a downfield shot in the opening week of the NFL season.

The Chiefs were not one of them.

The years-long dilemma took a one-play reprieve in regulation and then another reprieve in overtime.

On a pair of third-and-long throws – each bigger than the last — Mahomes hit Tyquan Thornton downfield on deep crossing patterns.

On third-and-12 in overtime, Mahomes hit Thornton for 30, leading to the initial go-ahead field goal in overtime.

Earlier, on a third-and-11 in the third quarter, Mahomes hit Thornton on a downfield crossing pattern for 45 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

Mahomes not only didn’t complete a downfield pass a week ago — he only attempted four throws more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage.

The first completion to Thornton on third-and-long Sunday was worth 5.1 expected points added (EPA), per RBSDM, the most significant snap of the game.

The second completion was worth 3.3 EPA, the second most valuable offensive snap of the game.

There’s a reason why we talk about them a lot.

4. Fourth down

This decision was a little easier than a week ago.

The result was the same.

Andy Reid left the offense on the field at the 1-yard line following that Thornton catch — after Mahomes waved for him to do so — setting up a go-ahead touchdown throw to Jalen Royals.

It reads much simpler than it unfolded. The Chiefs placed Royals at tight end on the line, sneaking him across the back of the end zone on a drag route. Someone didn’t run the expected route, because Noah Gray was in the vicinity — so close, in fact, that he actually thought it was an errant pass for him.

But Royals was open because of how the Chiefs lined up. They put Khyiris Tonga at fullback, with Kenneth Walker in the backfield. It’s the sixth time they’d used the formation. It’s the first time they’d thrown from it.

The analytics titled the scales in favor of going for it by a wide margin, by the way — far wider than a week ago, when Reid left his offense out there on his own half of the field.

5. Short fields

The Chiefs have forced three turnovers in two games after ranking 28th in the NFL in takeaways last year.

The turnovers do a lot more than halt a possession.

They set up the next one.

A week ago, the Chiefs started on the Broncos’ 46-yard line on their opening touchdown drive. Against the Colts, they needed only 16 yards to reach the end zone after a terrific Kristian Fulton interception.

Last year, the Chiefs ranked 21st in the league in drives starting inside their opponents’ territory. It’s fitting of last year — the offense never played with the easy button.

Kenneth Walker supplies that. But so can the defense.

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