KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An hour after a Patrick Mahomes injury scare, the Kansas City Chiefs remained the only unbeaten team in the NFL when Kareem Hunt powered his way into the end zone from 2 yards out.
The game-winning touchdown, which came nearly 6 minutes into the opening drive of overtime, delivered a 30-24 victory and a franchise-record 14-game win streak.
The injury-depleted Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who tied the game with 27 seconds left, had forced overtime with Baker Mayfield’s 1-yard pass to Ryan Miller.
The injury-riddled Chiefs weren’t able to get in position for a field-goal try, leaving their fortune to fate.
When the Bucs chose tails before overtime and the coin came up heads, Mahomes and company did the rest, improving to 8-0 with a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive.
Mahomes completed all five passes for 52 yards in overtime, including three to Travis Kelce, while Hunt added four carries for 16 yards on the game-winning drive.
Kansas City, which played consecutive Monday night home games for the first time ever, swept its Monday Night Football appearances. This is the first season since 2017 the Chiefs played twice on Monday night in a season.
Hunt, who has a touchdown in four straight games, finished with 27 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. He's topped 100 yards in both of Kansas City's Monday night wins after racking up 27 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 7 win against New Orleans.
MAHOMES INJURES ANKLE, STAYS IN GAME
Shortly before 9:30 p.m., Chiefs Kingdom’s collective hearts became lodged in their collective throats.
Only seconds earlier, the hearty fans inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium were in full throat cheering Patrick Mahomes’ game-tying 7-yard touchdown to Samaje Perine early in the fourth quarter.
But when Mahomes stayed down on the visiting sideline, the mood changed.
Mahomes, a two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP, was sitting down and examining his left ankle.
Replays appeared to show Mahomes rolling the ankle on waterlogged turf that had absorbed several hours of gentle rain. He’s been battling an ankle injury already, so was this an aggravation, a fresh sprain or something worse?
After a couple minutes, Mahomes was helped to his feet for more conversations with Kansas City’s training staff before beginning the slow walk across the field and into the blue medical tent.
Mahomes emerged a few minutes later and walked toward the other end of the field then lightly jogged.
He stopped briefly to talk to Chiefs coach Andy Reid, but Mahomes never retreated to the locker room for X-rays or anything that would indicate a more serious injury.
Kansas City’s defense, buoyed by the game being tied again, forced a quick three-and-out before Mahomes trotted back onto the field and led the go-ahead touchdown drive in a 24-17 victory, which extended the Chiefs’ franchise-record win streak to 14 consecutive games.
Mahomes went 5 of 6 for 41 yards on the drive. He finished 34 of 44 for 291 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
KELCE GOES CRAZY
For the second consecutive week, Travis Kelce reached double figures in receptions, which is more rare than you might think.
“When the lights shine bright, Trav finds the fountain of youth,” safety Justin Reid said. “He showed again today why he’s one of the best players in this league.”
Kelce finished with a career-high 14 catches for 100 yards, marking the 12th time he’s had 10-plus receptions in a regular-season game and the 38th he’s reached 100 yards.
“I didn’t realize had that many catches,” Mahomes said.
Kelce had 10 catches for 90 yards in last week’s win at Las Vegas.
“He does a great job of finding space and, with having DeAndre (Hopkins) out there, it takes pressure off him, where all the eyes aren’t on him the entire time,” Mahomes said.
It’s only the second time in Kelce’s career he’s hauled in double-figure catches in back-to-back games.
Kelce had 10 catches for 127 yards in a 54-51 loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 19, 2018, and backed that up with 12 catches for 168 yards at the then-Oakland Raiders on Dec. 2, 2018. There was a bye week in between.
Kelce also has six postseason games with 10-plus catches, including one instance of consecutive weeks reaching that plateau.
He had 13 catches for 118 yards against Buffalo in the 2020 AFC Championship Game on Jan. 24, 2021, and had 10 catches for 133 yards in a Super Bowl LV loss to Tampa Bay.
Kelce also had a 14-catch performance in the playoffs in the 2020 AFC Wild Card Game against Jacksonville and owns eight 100-yard playoff games.
FULL ‘NUK’ EXPERIENCE
Chiefs Kingdom, which has clamored for Hopkins for many years, finally got a chance to see him in a Kansas City uniform — and “D-Hop,” also known as “Nuk,” did not disappoint.
The Chiefs leaned on Hopkins as well Kelce early, but he really shined on Kansas City’s only first-half touchdown drive.
Three plays after snagging a 35-yard bomb from Mahomes between three Buccaneers defenders, Hopkins scored his first touchdown with the Chiefs — a 1-yard bullet from Mahomes on a third-down slant in the back of the end zone.
It was “The Full Nuk Experience” encapsulated in a single drive.
Hopkins has never been the fastest receiver, but he manages to separate and uses his massive hands like vises to snag dramatic deep passes in traffic. He’s also a precise route runner, which makes him an effective red-zone weapon.
The whole package was on display as he made a crazy catch in traffic, which moved Kansas City to the 3-yard line, then found himself alone for the go-ahead score.
The Chiefs led 10-7 at halftime on the strength of Hopkins’ 80th career receiving touchdown, which he punctuated by performing a dance made famous in the movie “Remember the Titans.”
“That’s one of my favorite movies, so I knew if I got in the end zone I was going to hit the ‘Remember the Titans,’” Hopkins said.
He added his 81st with 4:17 remaining, lining up outside against cornerback Josh Hayes. He stutter-stepped off the line, broke inside on a slant and hauled in a 5-yard rocket for his second touchdown and a 24-17 lead.
Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
BUCS OPT FOR OT, ESCHEW TWO-POINT TRY
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles cited “wet conditions” among the word-salad explanation he offered about not going for two with 27 seconds left.
Instead, Bowles opted for a game-tying extra point and overtime, which he said they were playing for. But the strategy backfired when the Chiefs got the ball to start OT and won on a walkoff touchdown.
“What they’ve got going on ain’t got nothing to do with me,” running back Samaje Perine said when asked if he was surprised Tampa Bay didn’t attempt a two-point conversion.
Safety Justin Reid expected the Bucs to opt for the one-play coin flip rather than risk an actual coin flip.
“I thought they were going to go for two, honestly,” Justin Reid said. “And we were prepared for that.”
But Andy Reid wasn’t surprised by the decision.
“No, but I’m glad he didn’t,” Andy Reid said.
SQUANDERED FIRST-HALF CHANCES
A promising drive for Kansas City short-circuited when Xavier Worthy lost track of the sideline and failed to get both feet down on a 31-yard deep shot.
Rather than have a first down at the goal line, the Chiefs wound up punting three plays later after a third-down Vita Vea sack knocked them from Harrison Butker’s field-goal range.
It was a theme in the first half.
Kansas City wasted a 30-yard Mecole Hardman Jr. punt return when Worthy got stuffed for a 10-yard loss on a reverse that asked Mahomes to block rush linebacker Yaya Diaby one-on-one.
The Chiefs settled for a field goal on the drive and then fell behind 7-3 when a Trent McDuffie holding penalty negated George Karlaftis’ third-down sack on the ensuing drive, giving the Buccaneers life to set sail on a 70-yard march.
But Kansas City wasn’t done.
After retaking the lead with DeAndre Hopkins’ first touchdown as a Chief, the defense forced a three-and-out and the offense was driving again before tight end Travis Kelce fumbled near midfield, leaving Kansas City to ponder what might have been in the halftime locker room.
HAPPY HOMECOMING FOR RACHAAD WHITE
Rachaad White, a third-year running back from Arizona State, enjoyed a dream moment Monday when he bounced a run to the left, found a sliver of daylight and burst 7 yards into the west end zone at Arrowhead.
He then exuberantly fired the football several dozen rows in the stands.
White grew up in Kansas City, only a few miles from the stadium, and graduated from Center High School.
He had a circuitous route to the NFL, starting at Nebraska-Kearney and transferring to Mt. San Antonio College before landing with the Sun Devils for two seasons.
After serving as Leonard Fournette’s backup to start his rookie season, White emerged as Tampa Bay’s starting back late in 2022 and throughout 2023. He finished with a team-high 990 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
White entered Monday as the Bucs’ second-leading rusher with 256 yards. The touchdown was his fourth of the season, but his first rushing. The other three were receiving scores.
But Tampa's offense struggled overall, gaining only 284 yards and despite averaging more yards per play (5.5) than Kansas City (4.6).
WAS TAYLOR SWIFT AT THE GAME?
Yass, queen — she was!
Fresh off wrapping up the U.S. portion of The Eras Tour with three shows in Indianapolis, Taylor Swift made her way to Kansas City in a dazzling Chiefs jacket and her (trademark?) knee-high boots.
Swift, who has been dating Travis Kelce for more than a year, made it to three of the Chiefs’ first five games — wins against Baltimore, Cincinnati and New Orleans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium — during a tour hiatus, but her day job kept her away for the last month.
Kansas City improved to 14-3 in games where Swift is in attendance, including a nine-game win streak dating back to late last season.
Queen Tay-Tay is off again next weekend, though it’s unclear if she’ll attend the game against Denver, before wrapping up announced tour dates with nine concerts in Canada between Nov. 14 and Dec. 8.
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