Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watched as the Buccaneers drove down the field in the final minute of regulation. Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass that brought Tampa Bay within one 2-point conversion of tying the game and potentially ending Kansas City’s perfect start to the season.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles admitted he gave only “very minor” thought to going for a 2-point conversion before deciding to kick the extra point, sending the game into overtime. “I’m glad he didn’t,” Reid said, smiling.
That’s because the Chiefs won the coin toss to start overtime, and Patrick Mahomes, who had already passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns despite playing on a hurt ankle, went 5-for-5 on the game-winning drive.
Kareem Hunt, who had 106 rushing yards, finished the drive by running for a 2-yard touchdown, giving Kansas City a 30-24 victory on Monday night.
“Everybody had a piece of this,” Reid said.
DeAndre Hopkins had eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Travis Kelce caught 14 passes for 100 yards, with Taylor Swift watching from a suite. Meanwhile, the defense, missing a couple of key players due to injury, held Mayfield to 200 passing yards and two touchdowns, while shutting down the Tampa Bay running game, which only gained 95 yards.
The outcome was familiar: The Chiefs extended their winning streak to 14 games dating back to last season, the longest streak since Carolina started 14-0 in 2014.
Kansas City also became just the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season. They’ve now won their last eight games when trailing in the second half, including the postseason.
The Buccaneers had a chance when Mayfield threw a touchdown to Ryan Miller with 27 seconds left. But instead of going for the win with a 2-point conversion, Bowles chose to kick the extra point, sending the game into overtime. Tampa Bay ended up losing their fourth game in the last five.
“We’ve got guys who are not going to quit fighting to the end,” said Tampa Bay wide receiver Sterling Shepard. “I’m really proud of the group and the way everybody fought. We’ve just got to clean up some little stuff. And that’s what this league is all about.”
The first half was memorable for two players who had been waiting for a chance to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
Bucs running back Rachaad White grew up just 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City. However, his family couldn’t afford tickets for him to attend a game.
White’s path to the NFL took him through Division II Nebraska-Kearney, a junior college in California, and then Arizona State, where he was eventually drafted in the third round by Tampa Bay in 2022.
Two years later, White finally got to step onto the field at Arrowhead — and into the end zone. He capped off a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, celebrating by nearly tossing the football into the stadium’s second deck.
“I can’t even count right now,” White said, when asked how many friends and family were watching him from the stands.
Next up was DeAndre Hopkins, who was playing in his first home game with the Chiefs after being traded from the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro receiver, who already had four catches at that point, made a huge play by catching a third-down pass from Patrick Mahomes. Despite being triple-covered, Hopkins managed to haul in a 35-yard catch that put the Chiefs inside the Tampa Bay 5-yard line.
Three plays later, Mahomes found Hopkins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs by doing a dance from the movie *Remember the Titans*.
“That’s one of my favorite movies,” Hopkins said. “I knew if I got in the end zone I was going to remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to take control of the game in the second half, scoring on two straight drives. The first drive ended with a touchdown pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to have success against the Chiefs. Then, Chase McLaughlin kicked a 47-yard field goal, giving the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
However, the Chiefs answered back in the fourth quarter. Mahomes led them 70 yards through the rain, ending the drive with a touchdown pass to Samaje Perine. Mahomes hurt his left ankle when he landed awkwardly, but he quickly recovered and threw another pass to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Bucs’ 5-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Mahomes later said the injury scared him more than it hurt. He was checked in the sideline tent but was soon back to throwing passes, determined to stay loose. He never gave Reid a chance to pull him from the game.
“You feel the pain and that scares you,” Mahomes explained, “because I’ve dealt with ankles before. But I just kind of laid there and as time went on the pain subsided. I just kind of got to it, and got moving again and felt comfortable going out there.”
After Kansas City took the lead, Tampa Bay quickly went three-and-out. But their defense got the ball back, and Mayfield calmly led his team down the field.
He finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller, who caught his first career touchdown. With just 27 seconds left, Tampa Bay chose to kick the extra point and go for overtime. In the end, it was a decision the Buccaneers would regret.
