There shouldn’t have been a moment of indecision for head coach 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 at Arrowhead Stadium, 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 run to end the game, keeping the Chiefs undefeated with a 30-24 win.
The Chiefs didn’t play great. 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.
After the game, Bowles said he gave “very minor” thought to going for 2: “With the wet conditions on the field, we felt like we had to go into overtime instead of going for 2,” Bowles told reporters. “We had our shots, and we lost the game.”
Video: Todd Bowles said he gave “very minor” thought to going for two after the late touchdown. Cited wet field conditions, thought they could win in overtime. pic.twitter.com/uR67NorVnA
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 5, 2024
The Buccaneers started pretty well. The defense did a good job containing the Chiefs, though Xavier Worthy’s inability to get his feet in bounds on what would have been a long catch to about the 1-yard line helped Tampa’s 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 DeAndre 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. Baker 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. The Chiefs’ offense, which seemed to be getting right in the second quarter, disappeared for most of the third quarter. And Tampa Bay wasn’t intimidated.
But it’s the Chiefs. They usually find a way.
The Chiefs got back in the game on the ground. With rain starting to fall, the Chiefs kept feeding Hunt. His hard running set up a game-tying touchdown, but it came with a scare. Mahomes flipped a touchdown pass to Samaje Perine but took an awkward step and had to be helped off the field. But Mahomes was looked at by athletic trainers and was jogging on the sideline before Kansas City’s next series.
The Buccaneers had a quick three-and-out, and that was the opening the Chiefs needed. Kansas City, with Mahomes moving around like nothing happened, grinded out another long drive in the rain. Hopkins scored his second touchdown of the game to give the Chiefs a 24-17 lead with 4:17 to go. Hopkins will be a valuable weapon for them near the goal line.
The Chiefs’ defense has been fantastic all season, and on the Buccaneers’ next drive Kansas City got a key sack. The Buccaneers decided to punt on fourth-and-16, and it seemed like the game might be over. However, the Buccaneers got a stop to get the ball back on a punt. The Chiefs would usually never give the ball back in that spot, but it wasn’t a vintage performance on Monday night.
The Buccaneers drove into Chiefs territory needing a touchdown. Mayfield kept completing passes in the rain, moving Tampa Bay downfield. Mayfield hit Trey Palmer for a pass on a crossing route that got the Bucs down to the 1-yard line with 33 seconds left. Then Mayfield hit Ryan Miller for a touchdown. The Buccaneers could have gone for the 2-point conversion and the lead, which seemed smart as a big underdog at Arrowhead Stadium, but Bowles decided on the extra point and the tie. The Buccaneers got a stop to force a punt and the game went to overtime.
The Chiefs didn’t win in regulation despite having three timeouts, but they drove into Buccaneers territory right away after winning the coin toss in overtime. Mahomes calmly got the Chiefs into the red zone on their first drive. He kept hitting Travis Kelce for gains. From the 2-yard line, Hunt found the end zone for the walk-off score.
When asked if he was surprised that Bowles’ didn’t go for 2, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said, “No. But I’m glad he didn’t.”
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