There shouldn’t have been a moment of indecision for Todd Bowles after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored in the final minute of regulation on Monday night.
Nobody has been able to beat the Kansas City Chiefs going back to last December. When you have a single play from 2 yards out to knock off the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, as the Buccaneers did when they scored with 27 seconds left Monday night, you take your shot right then.
Bowles didn’t. Instead of going for the 2-point conversion and the win as a big underdog, the Buccaneers head coach opted to kick an extra point to force overtime. Everyone knew how that could backfire, and it did.
The Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime, and there wasn’t much surprise for what happened next. Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs right downfield, as he has so many times in clutch situations. And Kareem Hunt scored on a 2-yard touchdown to end the game, keeping the Chiefs undefeateds with a 30-24 win.
The Chiefs didn’t play great on Monday night. They were expected to beat the Buccaneers, who were 4-4 coming in, without much problem. But it was a struggle. They were on the ropes, but Bowles decided against going for the knockout punch when he had the chance. There’s a reason the Chiefs are 8-0. Maybe Bowles was unaware of the Chiefs’ history when he chose to kick the extra point.
Buccaneers take a 2nd half lead
The Buccaneers started pretty well. The defense did a good job containing the Chiefs offense, though Xavier Worthy not being able to get his feet in bounds on what would have been a long catch to about the 1-yard line helped their cause. Rachaad White scored the first touchdown of the game to give Tampa Bay an early 7-3 lead.
The Chiefs warmed up after that. Mahomes hit Hopkins on a ridiculous throw into traffic downfield for a 35-yard gain which set up a 1-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins.
Hopkins hit a celebration from “Remember the Titans” after that, showing off his sense of humor to go with his red-zone ability. The Chiefs led 10-7 at halftime. Everyone has seen this game play out during the Mahomes era. Eventually the Chiefs take over and win.
But the Buccaneers were undaunted. Mayfield kept hitting tight end Cade Otton, who is practically Tampa Bay’s only reliable receiver due to injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Otton scored a touchdown and gave the Buccaneers the lead. A field goal later in the third quarter put the Buccaneers ahead 17-10. The Chiefs had a challenge on their hands.
The Chiefs are supposed to put away most teams, especially at home, and they were big favorites to beat the Buccaneers. But Kansas City looked a little off on Monday night, starting when the rookie Worthy had no field awareness and stepped out of bounds on what would have been a big play on their first drive. The Chiefs’ offense, which seemed to be getting right in the second quarter, disappeared for most of the third quarter. And Tampa Bay clearly wasn’t intimidated.
But it’s the Chiefs. They usually find a way.
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