KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs remain unbeaten at 8-0 after another dramatic win, this time edging out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in an overtime thriller on “Monday Night Football” at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs trailing by seven points in the fourth quarter staged a comeback as Patrick Mahomes threw two crucial touchdown passes despite injuring his ankle on the first. Mahomes returned for the following drive leading a methodical 15-play possession that drained over eight minutes off the clock. Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield responded with a late-game touchdown drive forcing the game into overtime. The Chiefs sealed the victory with a touchdown on their first overtime possession securing an automatic win.
DeAndre Hopkins recently acquired from the Tennessee Titans made a significant impact in just his second game with Kansas City catching eight passes for 86 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Read: Chiefs vs Buccaneers: A Clash of Titans Chiefs Edge Out Buccaneers in Overtime Thriller
Here’s a breakdown of key takeaways from Monday night’s game for both teams:
Chiefs on Fire: Kansas City Reaches 8-0 Mark
QB Breakdown:
Patrick Mahomes finally connected on a deep pass of 20+ air yards for the first time since Week 4 hitting DeAndre Hopkins with a 35-yard completion in the first half. However, this would be Mahomes’ only completion of more than 20 air yards in the game. Despite leading the Chiefs to victory he faced heavy pressure from the Buccaneers’ defense enduring four sacks throughout the game.
Most Surprising Performance:
Kareem Hunt turned his night around in a big way. After a rough first half with just 16 rushing yards on seven carries, he found his rhythm in the second half. Hunt was instrumental on Kansas City’s game-tying drive rushing seven times for 47 yards to even the score at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter. He finished the night with 27 carries for 106 yards including the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Describe the Game in Two Words: Gritty win. The Chiefs struggling offensively and trailing by seven in the fourth quarter rallied with two crucial touchdown drives. Even with Mahomes playing through an ankle injury they managed to pull ahead 24-17 before clinching the win in OT.
Next Game: vs. Broncos (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Striving for Consistency with a 4-5 Record
Despite missing key receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan, the Buccaneers nearly pulled off an upset against the undefeated Chiefs. Ryan Miller’s 1-yard touchdown catch from Baker Mayfield tied the game at 24-24 late in the fourth quarter. However, the Bucs’ defense couldn’t hold on in overtime, as the Chiefs sealed the win with a 10-play drive culminating in Kareem Hunt’s 2-yard touchdown.
The loss dropped the Bucs below .500 for the first time this season. They’ll host the San Francisco 49ers next week before their Week 11 bye, where Evans is expected to return. With a favorable schedule ahead—only the Chargers have a winning record—the Bucs could still make a playoff push.
QB Breakdown: Baker Mayfield put in a solid performance, completing 23 of 31 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with tight end Cade Otton for an 11-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, beating safety Justin Reid. As in previous games, Mayfield leaned on Otton and running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White in the screen game to move the ball.
Biggest Hole in the Game Plan: The Chiefs were highly efficient on third down, scoring all four touchdowns in those situations. Two of those touchdowns exploited rookie Josh Hayes, who was making his first NFL start with Jamel Dean sidelined. Hayes had a tough task against DeAndre Hopkins but did recover a fumble forced by Tykee Smith on Travis Kelce.
Eye-Popping Stat: Despite stellar performances from defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, who each recorded two sacks. The Bucs took a conservative approach to blitzing Mahomes. Todd Bowles blitzed on just 13% of Mahomes’ dropbacks through the first three quarters—the second-lowest rate of Bowles’ time with the Bucs, next to his 11% blitz rate in Super Bowl LV.
Next Game: vs. 49ers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
