The Kansas City Chiefs returned home to Arrowhead to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, and it was nothing short of exciting. The matchup went down to the wire, and the Chiefs won in overtime. Both offenses were on full display, and Patrick Mahomes finally had a performance worthy of getting a star of the game honor.
While both offenses showed off their strengths, the Chiefs had the final laugh in overtime. Looking at the stats throughout the game, winning that OT coin toss was extremely important and was most likely the reason the Chiefs came away undefeated. Without the chance to score themselves, the Buccaneers left under .500.
Kelce Breaking Through
After what happened at the Penn State game on Saturday, Travis Kelce's name was understandably in the news. Not for great reason, though, of course. After Monday's game, he's in the headlines again. This time, for his play.
For the first time this season, Kelce broke 100 receiving yards. This was the most yards in a game for Kelce since last October when the Chiefs played the Los Angeles Chargers. Kelce also became the oldest player in NFL history to catch 14 passes in a game. This record was once held by wide receiver Bobby Engram, who caught 14 passes in a game when he was 34 years old.
With so many injuries to Chiefs receivers, it is so important that Kelce continues this stretch. It's clear that Mahomes is at his best when Kelce is at his best. If the two can continue to connect, the Chiefs will continue to go far.
Mahomes with a Beauty
It's no secret that Mahomes hasn't performed up to expectations this season. Against the Buccaneers, however, he had a performance worthy of himself and finally ended his streak of interceptions in games.
Mahomes' completion percentage of 77.3 is the highest of the season for him, as well as his three passing touchdowns. Even though the o-line was not the best and allowed four sacks, this was quickly the most impressive game of the season for Mahomes. Not to mention, DeAndre Hopkins made himself known by catching two touchdown passes. With weapons like Hopkins and Kelce getting hot, Mahomes should be able to slide through the rest of the season.
If this game indicated what Mahomes will be capable of for the rest of the season, the rest of the league better be concerned about the Chiefs going undefeated. However, it's worth noting that the Buccaneers do have one of the worst defenses in the league. No matter what, Mahomes and his abilities will be on full display in the coming weeks.
Overtime Win
The Buccaneers came out swinging on Monday Night Football. Even as the Chiefs kept taking the lead, Mayfield would lead his team down the field to score and tie the game. Both quarterbacks gave the fans a show, even on a rainy night in Kansas City.
When the Buccaneers led a key drive late in the fourth quarter to tie the game, it was pretty clear that the game would go into overtime. Mahomes is one of the strongest players in that regard, so going into overtime was probably one of the best ideas for him.
One of Mayfield's only mistakes was guessing the coin flip wrong. When you give the ball to Mahomes first in overtime, there's no chance of winning the game. Mahomes passed the ball to Kareem Hunt, and the Chiefs won the game, 30-24.
The Injury Scare
The biggest moment of this game had to have come in the fourth quarter when Mahomes was injured on a noncontact play when he was throwing a touchdown pass to Samaje Perine. Mahomes was then helped off of the field. Mahomes had injured the same ankle the week before, which was an even scarier thought.
According to Mahomes, he feared for the worst after this injury. Despite these worries, he was back in during the next drive.
For many, the injury was a wake-up call. While Mahomes hasn't performed the best this season, pushing Carson Wentz out there was probably not going to yield the best outcome. Especially with the way the Buccaneers were playing, Mahomes needed to be out there, and the fact that he was able to get right back in was massive for the Chiefs.
Up Next: Denver Broncos
The Chiefs will host the Denver Broncos for the first time this season next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT. The Broncos are coming off of a blowout loss against the Ravens.
This will be the first time the Chiefs are facing the Broncos this season, and the first time they will face rookie quarterback Bo Nix. With the Chiefs keeping momentum against the best teams in the NFL, the Broncos will have to put their best show on if they want to win.
Final Score: Chiefs 30, Buccaneers 24
Jones' Three Stars
1st Star - DeAndre Hopins
8 receptions, 86 yards, 2 TDs
2nd Star - Patrick Mahomes
34/44, 291 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 INT
3rd Star - Travis Kelce
14 receptions, 100 yards
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