
Tuesday, 4 a.m.
They went down watching. They stood there, helpless, desperation in their eyes, as the stars of the Kansas City Chiefs methodically drove for the winning points.
It was a powerless feeling for the offensive players of the Tampa Bay Bucs, whose offense finished with a score-tying touchdown drive against the clock.
In the end, however, the stars of the Chiefs made sure their team remained unbeaten (8-0) with an overtime drive for a 30-24 victory.
The Chiefs drove 70 yards on 10 plays in overtime to win the game. And, yeah, their big names played well.
— Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
— Celebrity tight end Travis Kelce, criticized for sub-par play earlier in the season, caught 14 passes for 100 yards.
— Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught eight passes for 86 yards and two scores.
— Rejuvenated running back Kareem Hunt carried 27 times for 106 yards.
Despite it all, the battered Bucs forced the champions into overtime. Today, in fact, a lot of Bucs’ fans will debate whether the Bucs should have gone for a two-point conversion when they tied the game with 23 seconds to play on a pass from Baker Mayfield to Ryan Miller.
The argument to go for two? A stunning victory was two yards away. If you kick, you risk Kansas City driving for the knockout punch.
The argument against it? That way, you don't put winning or losing on one play.
“We had our shot." Bowles' said. "We lost the game. It didn't have anything to do with that."
Coach Todd Bowles elected to let kicker Chase McLaughlin tie the game at 24. The Bucs could never get the ball back.
Perhaps Bowles’ decision centered on how badly the Bucs struggled to move the ball all night. Mayfield threw for two touchdowns, but without Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan all out injured, he threw for just 200 yards. None of the Bucs running backs had as many as 25 yards.
Perhaps , too, Bowles was filled with the confidence a game-tying drive can give. Mayfield took the Bucs' 71 yards in 11 plays. Mayfield hit six of seven passes on the drive, including a 19-yarder to Trey Palmer to the Chiefs' one with 30 seconds to go. Two plays later, Mayfield foud Ryan Miller for Miller's first-ever touchdown.
The defeat was the Bucs’ fourth in five games. They are now 4-5 with a home game against San Francisco on Sunday.