Tampa Bay Drops Sunday Night Showdown Against the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-41

A lot was thrown at Tampa Bay this past week with Hurricane Ian running through Florida. The team was forced to practice in Miami for the week. Following practices in the Dolphins’ facilities, the Buccaneers lost their second game in a row Sunday night against head coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. Tampa Bay is now 2-2 and tied for the lead in the NFC South along with the Atlanta Falcons.

Defense has First Lapsed Performance of the Season

Before Sunday night, Tampa Bay’s defense hadn’t given up more than two touchdowns in a game all season. However, this week, it was a whole new story.

The Bucs received the opening kickoff and Rachaad White fumbled it away. This allowed Kansas City to score less than a minute into the game. Tight end Travis Kelce would score putting the Chiefs up 7-0. Kelce finished the game with nine receptions for 92 yards. The Buccaneers’ lack of coverage on Kelce hurt them big as Patrick Mahomes and his tight end were really able to pick apart the defense.

The Bucs were fifth in the NFL among run defenses heading into this game. Mahomes’ success running the ball (8.8 yards per carry) along with Clyde Edwards-Helaire finishing with 92 yards on the ground showed just how off the game was for Tampa Bay.

The Chiefs finished 12-17 on third down attempts, which was a killer for the Bucs’ ability to gain momentum. The inability to get Mahomes and the offense off the field meant there was not much Tom Brady and his offense could do in order to comeback in the game.

Despite the abundance of points the Buccaneers gave up, the linebacking core once again made an impact. Both Lavonte David and Devin White finished with eight tackles each. Keanu Neal had an impressive game with six tackles of his own. Mike Edwards finished with five tackles and got to Mahomes once, recording a sack.

Offense Looked Better than Last Week, But Still Started Slow

Although they lost, the Bucs put up the most points they have all season by a landslide. The return of their key offensive weapons certainly helped Brady and his squad get back on track.

Brady attempted an astronomical 52 passes against the Chiefs. However, he played very well with 385 yards and three touchdowns. His quarterback rating was 74.0, one of the lowest he has had in his career with Tampa Bay.

Mike Evans played phenomenal, coming off of his one-game suspension. He finished with eight catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He was a problem all game as the Kansas City secondary struggled to find appropriate matchups for him. Leonard Fournette had Brady’s other touchdown and 57 yards through the air. Chris Godwin impressed in his return from injury with seven catches for 59 yards.

The Chiefs were very much successful in halting the Buccaneers’ run game. White had just six yards despite also scoring a touchdown. Fournette had below positive yardage on three carries.

Up Next

The Buccaneers next game will be at home in Raymond James Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons. Kickoff will be at 1:00 p.m. ET.