Chiefs 30, Bucs 24 – Bucs Lose To the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9

In overtime, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 30-24 following a two-yard touchdown rush by Kareem Hunt. The game hinged on third-down efficiency as all four of Kansas City’s touchdowns came on third down. Overall, the Bucs converted five-of-11 attempts on third down, while the Chiefs completed 12-of-18. Baker Mayfield threw for 200 yards, two touchdowns and completed 23-of-31 attempts.

The Chiefs’ first offensive possession was stopped short after a third-down sack on Patrick Mahomes by Vita Vea. Vea beat Creed Humphrey up the middle, dropping Mahomes for a loss of nine yards on third down. That play knocked the Chiefs out of field goal range and forced a punt. George Karlaftis ended the Bucs’ first drive, batting down Baker Mayfield’s pass intended for Sterling Shepard on third down.

On the Chiefs’ following drive, DeAndre Hopkins moved the chains off a skinny post with a 17-yard gain and Mahomes scrambled on the following play, finding a crease for another first down. Kansas City tried a reverse play with speedster Xavier Worthy and Yaya Diaby dropped him in the backfield for a loss of 10 on first down. The Chiefs came up short of the sticks on third down, forcing a Harrison Butker 40-yard field goal.

On the Bucs’ first possession in the second quarter, Sterling Shepard picked up 19 yards off a jet sweep. Shepard became the catalyst again several plays later from third-and-nine, as he gained 13 yards on an out route. Rachaad White capped off the 11-play, 70-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown rush. He utilized a stutter-step maneuver and Tristan Wirfs got the kickside block to open up the crease for White. The Bucs took a 7-3 lead inside Arrowhead with an offensive surge.

On the Chiefs’ next drive, Vita Vea took down Mahomes on second down for a loss of three. Diaby brought the initial pressure and Vea finished off No.15. Chiefs’ Justin Watson exploited zone coverage for a pickup of 19 yards. Mahomes worked off the delayed blitz and found Watson to move the sticks. DeAndre Hopkins then got vertical on an impromptu route and Mahomes dropped the pass in-between triple coverage and Hopkins hauled in the catch for a gain of 35 yards, bringing the Chiefs to Tampa Bay’s three-yard line. On third down, Mahomes found Hopkins in the back of the end zone for a one-yard touchdown, giving the Chiefs a 10-7 lead.

On the following drive, Mayfield was sacked by Karlaftis and a screen to White was short of the sticks, resulting in a Bucs’ punt. On the subsequent drive for the Chiefs, Travis Kelce picked up 20 yards, finding the soft spot in zone over the middle of the field. Several plays later, Kelce fumbled, and Josh Hayes recovered at the Tampa Bay 45-yard line, thrusting Mayfield and company back into action. Mayfield picked up the first down off a quarterback draw but a holding penalty negated the first and instead, set up third-and-16. The ensuing scramble by Mayfield came up short, forcing a punt. Calijah Kancey sacked Mahomes for a loss of seven, which ushered in halftime.

Out of the half, Bucky Irving returned the kickoff 46 yards to the Tampa Bay 49-yard line. Rakim Jarrett bounced off a tackle to pick up nine yards and Cade Otton finished off the six-play drive with an 11-yard touchdown. Otton went in motion and Ryan Miller cleared the way on a vertical route, providing Otton with a one-on-one. He gave the Bucs with a 14-10 lead in the third quarter.

The Bucs’ defense followed suit with a strong series. Rookie Tykee Smith forced an incompletion by plastering Kelce on second down over the middle of the field. On third down, Vea brought initial pressure, flushing Mahomes out of the pocket. Kancey finished off the play with a sack, clipping Mahomes’ legs.

On the first play, Otton built momentum on an 18-yard gain. Mayfield zipped the ball over the middle of the field to Otton, who took a physical hit and managed to hang on. A few plays later, the Bucs converted from third-and-12 as Mayfield found Otton for a gain of 15. Irving then spun for a gain of seven yards off a swing pass, forcing missed tackles. Otton followed suit with a gain of seven yards on a tight end screen, setting up a Chase McLaughlin 47-yard field goal.

To open up the next defensive series for the Bucs, Antoine Winfield Jr. came downhill on second down to stop Kareem Hunt in his tracks before he was able to cutback, along with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. The Chiefs were able to convert on third down as Todd Bowles sent a zero blitz and Mahomes connected with Mecole Hardman for the first. Hunt then plunged up the middle around the left guard for a gain of 15, bringing the Chiefs to the Tampa Bay 20-yard line. Kansas City cashed in with a touchdown as Mahomes found Samaje Perine for a seven-yard touchdown, tying it up at 17. Mahomes was injured on the play and was helped off the field by medical staff with an ankle injury.

The Bucs offense had a quick three-and-out and ensuing punt on the next 90-second drive, and Mahomes re-entered the game for Kansas City. The Chiefs converted from third-and-short as Mahomes found his go-to in Kelce. A few plays later, Hunt picked up the first from fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive. Then from third-and-five, the middle of the field opened up for Watson and Hunt brought the Chiefs to first and goal with a nine-yard run. Mahomes found Hopkins on a slant for a five-yard touchdown to give the home team a 24-17 advantage late in the fourth quarter. That 78-yard drive ate up half the clock in the frame (8:26).

The Bucs then went three-and-out following a second-down sack of Mayfield that led to a third-and-long. An incompletion on third down set up the punt with just over two minutes in regulation. The Chiefs’ offense then stalled and a drop by Perine on third-and-11 forced the punt.

On the next drive, a gain of 14 by Trey Palmer and a gain of 18 for Shepard set the Bucs up at the Kansas City 49-yard line. Then, a nine-yard pickup for White on third down and a spinning grab for Shepard set the Bucs up in favorable positioning. Palmer brought the team to first-and-goal on a 19-yard gain and Mayfield connected with Ryan Miller on a one-yard touchdown with :27 on the clock to tie it up at 24. After a couple incompletions for Mahomes, the game was sent into overtime. Kareem Hunt plunged into the end zone on a two-yard rush to seal the Chief’s victory in overtime, 30-24.