The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fought in the Week Nine offensive showdown to give the NFL's lone unbeaten team their greatest challenge of the 2024 docket on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime and elected to receive. Patrick Mahomes directed a 70-yard scoring drive, handing the Buccaneers their third-straight loss. The Bucs tied the game with 27 seconds remaining in regulation as Baker Mayfield hit Ryan Miller on a one-yard touchdown, capping off a methodical 71-yard drive. Mayfield faked a handoff to Rachaad White then hit Miller on a corner route to tie it up at 24 following the point after attempt. However, Mayfield was never able to touch the ball again and Tampa Bay fell to 4-5 with a 30-24 defeat on the road. Kansas City's four touchdowns came on third down and the unit converted on 12-of-18 third-down attempts, while the Bucs converted on five-of-11.
"We don't take anything from it but a loss, and we can't get used to losing," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "That's the biggest thing – we're not going to get used to losing. We had some big plays, we took our swings, but they connected more than we did. We fought but it wasn't good enough, so we've got to get ready next week for another one."
Offensive Review
On a rainy night in Kansas City without their three starting receivers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, the Buccaneers found a way to achieve cohesion and sustain drives. Baker Mayfield completed 23 of 31 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Mayfield gave the Buccaneers a 14-10 lead in the third quarter with an 11-yard scoring pass to Cade Otton, who caught eight passes for 77 yards and that aforementioned score. Otton became the first tight end in franchise history with eight or more receptions in three consecutive games and just the second with 75 or more receiving yards in three consecutive games. He tied the second-longest streak of games by a tight end with 8-plus receptions and 75-plus receiving yards in NFL history (three), trailing only Travis Kelce (six games, 11/1/20-12/13/20). Bucky Irving provided the Bucs with positive field position on the scoring drive with a 46-yard kickoff return. On a beautiful play design, Ryan Miller got vertical, creating an advantageous matchup for Otton on a wheel route. Otton was wide-open, caught the ball and accelerated upfield for the score. The Bucs also ran for 95 yards against the NFL's second-ranked rush defense heading into the matchup as White and Irving spearheaded the running game.
White provided the Bucs with their first lead early in the second quarter when he ran seven yards for a touchdown, and kicker Chase McLaughlin drilled a 47-yard field goal in the third frame to give the Bucs a 17-10 cushion. On White's touchdown, the Bucs operated out of a tight end bunch on the left side of the formation and Tristan Wirfs pulled to help create the crease for White, along with Payne Durham and Otton. Mahomes responded with a 78-yard touchdown drive that drained eight-and-a-half minutes off the clock, culminating in a five-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins. The Chiefs converted three first downs on the drive to set up Hopkins' touchdown on a slant in the back of the end zone.
Defensive Pressure
On the game's opening drive, Vita Vea sacked Patrick Mahomes for a 10-yard loss to push Kansas City out of field goal range on third down, before adding another knockdown later in the first half. Vea has a team-best 5.0 sacks this year and his 5.0 sacks are the most among nose tackles this season – 2.5 more than the next closest nose tackle per StatsPass position designations. Vea also led the team with a career-best 10 tackles, in addition to three quarterback hits. He became a disruptive force in the interior, getting penetration throughout the Monday Night Football battle. Vea imposed his will at the point of attack and bullied his way into the backfield all night long.
Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey produced his first career multi-sack performance. He showcased his first-step quickness and change-of-direction skills that made him a first round pick out of Pitt. Antoine Winfield Jr. led the team with a season-best 12 tackles, marking his 11th career game with 10-or-more tackles. Rookie defensive back Tykee Smith forced his third fumble of the season, knocking it loose from Kelce and Smith's three forced fumbles in 2024 are tied for the third-most in the NFL and the most among rookies. Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby added two tackles for loss to the mix, creating havoc in the backfield with quick diagnosis.
Travis Kelce became Mahomes' favorite target of the night. He finished with 100 receiving yards on 14 receptions and routinely found ways to generate leverage and exploit voids in zone coverage. DeAndre Hopkins, the Chiefs' new acquisition in a trade with the Titans, finished with 86 yards on eight receptions and two touchdowns. Kareem Hunt plunged his way to 106 yards on the ground via 27 carries.
