The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a hot start in the 2026 season. They now have two statement victories on the board, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 in a thrilling overtime win. However, the winning party might be bracing itself for some bad news later next week.

“Daniel Jones takes a shot to the helmet. Chiefs get flagged for roughing the passer,” Rate the Refs posted a video on X and wrote.

The Colts opened the game with a strong 11-play, 65-yard drive that lasted 6:35. Indianapolis moved the ball steadily into Kansas City territory, with Daniel Jones connecting with Luke Treadwell for a 10-yard gain and then finding Josh Downs for 11 yards. On third-and-four with 9:34 on the clock, when Jones targeted Downs, Hicks came rushing in and got his hands on the Colts quarterback, and the Chiefs got a two-yard penalty.

The Colts advanced to Kansas City’s one-yard line, and two plays later, they put up their first score on the board.

Kansas City has been the more unruly team in this matchup, tallying eight penalties for 86 yards.

Hicks is a key defensive weapon for the Chiefs. He played all 17 games for the Chiefs in 2025 and started three. He finished the season with 42 total tackles, including 29 solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles. He also recorded half a sack and four passes defended, but did not have an interception or forced fumble. Entering the 2026 season, Hicks had to prove his worth on the roster.

The Year 3 safety was in a secondary that was almost entirely revamped this offseason. He has the chance to create an impact by teaming up with Alohi Gillman in the deep. He is currently filling in for an injured Chamarri Conner, who he was competing with for a spot in the offseason. And so far, he is making it count.

In the Chiefs’ Week 1 game against the Broncos in 2026, Hicks recorded four total tackles. He played 51 defensive snaps, though he did give up a touchdown.

Kansas City had a much bigger penalty problem in 2025 than the year before. The Chiefs were called for 119 penalties, up from the 94 in 2024, averaging about seven penalties per game. That made them the seventh-most penalized team in the league.

After the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams on August 15, 2026, even Andy Reid said, “the No. 1 thing we need to clean up” was the penalties. They had 10 penalties against the Rams.

In the two games so far, the Chiefs have 15 penalties total.

Now that Week 2 is wrapped up, the league will sit down and review footage to make sure the necessary players are penalized, even if they were not flagged during the game. The Chiefs already entered the game with one such case in star offensive lineman Trey Smith.

Trey Smith fined for illegal block in Broncos clash.

Before facing the Colts, the Chiefs had to deal with some off-field discipline. Guard Trey Smith was fined $6,750 by the NFL for a play in the season opener.

The play came with 9:50 left in the fourth quarter. Kansas City had the ball at its own 34-yard line when running back Emmett Johnson took the handoff and ran left. Smith was flagged for a “chop block,” which cost the Chiefs 15 yards. The NFL later reviewed the play and added the $6,750 fine.

A fine is never a good thing to have on someone’s record, but it won’t cost Smith much. He is one of the highest-paid guards in the league, after all.

Star running back Kenneth Walker III also picked up a fine of nearly $8,000 for throwing the football into the stands while celebrating a touchdown against Denver.

The money will be split between two organizations that support former athletes and football communities.

Part of the money will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to help former players in need. The rest will go to the NFL Foundation, which supports programs focused on athletes’ health, safety, and overall well-being, including youth football and the communities around the sport.

But this wasn’t the start the Chiefs were hoping for, with players’ discipline issues troubling them on and off the field.