Getty Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Shaquille Leonard was excited following the team's first win of the 2022 season.
The Indianapolis Colts are in the win column, and despite not playing, linebacker Shaquille Leonard couldn’t be any more happy about that.
From the sounds of it, several other Colts players and coaches couldn’t have been more pleased either.
Leonard shared his excitement on Twitter after the Colts’ 20-17 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 25. Indianapolis erased a 4-point lead in the final minute to knock off the previously 2-0 Chiefs.
“Huge win!!! Let’s go!!” Leonard tweeted. “Keep that same energy!!! Let’s go baby!!!”
Leonard was pretty excited during the game as well. The CBS cameras repeatedly showed the linebacker, who is still recovering from a back injury, on the sidelines talking to teammates or encouraging the home crowd to make more noise.
At one point in the fourth quarter, CBS play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz complimented Leonard, calling him a great leader, for how engaged in the game he was.
Leonard Screaming in Colts Locker Room
The linebacker reportedly didn’t just tweet about “keeping the same energy.” Colts reporter Nate Atkins tweeted that Leonard was also screaming that sentence in the locker room following the win.
Atkins also tweeted about reactions from other players during the postgame celebration in the locker room.
Pretty damn happy Colts locker room after that win. You had Shaquille Leonard screaming, “Keep that same energy!” Jelani Woods beaming, Gus Bradley hugging players and Stephon Gilmore smirking into the cameras like he’s been here and done this plenty of times.
Quarterback Matt Ryan also shared his postgame reactions following the victory.
LET’S GO!! #ForTheShoe
Colts Defense ‘Balls Out’ Against Chiefs
Several things went Indianapolis’ way in the victory. The officials called Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which extended the Colts’ final drive. Indianapolis ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown on that possession.
Kansas City was also awful on special teams. The Chiefs muffed a punt inside the 10-yard line, which the Colts quickly turned into a touchdown. Kansas City missed a field goal and failed to convert a fake field goal in the second half as well.
But that doesn’t change the fact the Indianapolis defense played its best game of the early season.
A+ game from the Colts defense today. They just picked off Patrick Mahomes to seal a huuuuuuuge win.
Colts 20, Chiefs 17.
The Colts are 1-1-1.
The Colts held Kansas City to 315 total yards and 5.2 yards per play. The Chiefs were also just 3-for-10 on third down and scored touchdowns only twice on 4 red zone possessions.
Indianapolis only had 1 sack, but the pass rush was much better than it was a week ago versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts recorded 5 quarterback hits and 4 tackles for loss. They also flushed Patrick Mahomes from the pocket multiple times.
Game ball to Gus Bradley and the defense. What a great great game. Entire defense balled out
Mahomes finished 20 of 35 passing for 262 yards. The Colts held Kansas City to only 58 rushing yards.
Opposing running backs vs the Colts this year:
65 carries for 188 yards (2.89 ypc)
Run defense has stayed elite post-Matt Eberflus
Colts Rookies Save the Day
On offense, Indianapolis’ rookies stole the show. Third-round pick Jelani Woods caught the first touchdown on third-and-goal to give the Colts a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Fellow rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce, who the Colts drafted with their first selection in the second round, had 3 catches for 61 yards. His 30-yard reception in the second quarter was Indianapolis’ longest play from scrimmage in the game. His other 2 catches helped set up scores — a field goal in the first half and the game-winning touchdown.
Pierce’s final reception came on second-and-7 at the Chiefs 26-yard line, where Pierce hauled in a 14-yard catch. The Colts scored the game-winning touchdown 2 plays later.
When the Colts drafted Pierce and Woods on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft, they were expected to play a big role as rookies. There have been some growing pains for both players to open the season, but both still figure to be major contributors for Indianapolis if the Colts are going to contend for a championship this season.