The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to pull out of a two-game skid in Week Nine of the 2024 season, but it won't be an easy task. Next up on the docket is a trip to Kansas City to play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium on November 4. The Chiefs were the only remaining undefeated team after seven weeks, befitting for a squad that has won the past two Super Bowls.
The Buccaneers are 4-4 and a game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South after their 31-26 loss to their division rivals at home on Sunday. Tampa Bay's offense was impressive in many ways in that defeat, overcoming the losses last week of star wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to injury to rack up 432 yards of offense. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, tight end Cade Otton continued to step up with 91 yards and two touchdowns and the three-pronged backfield of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker produced 166 yards of offense and a score.
Tampa Bay's defense, which gave up 394 yards and 31 points to Kirk Cousins and the Falcons in Week Eight, will now have to contend with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. So far, Mahomes, the two-time MVP, has yet to put up the type of numbers associated with his brilliant career, with six touchdowns and eight interceptions through his first eight games, but he typically finds a way to win no matter what his supporting cast looks like. That group recently got a significant addition when the Chiefs traded for Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last week.
The Buccaneers are 0-2 in primetime games so far this season, and would like to put their best foot forward in front of a national audience in Week Nine. They'll do so against the team they beat in Super Bowl LV less than four years ago. Monday's game won't have quite the import of that championship showdown, but it could be a crucial one in the Bucs' efforts to win a fourth straight NFC South title.
