Despite a fine defensive effort where they limited Patrick Mahomes to under 300 yards through the air, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t able to get a win over the finish line, falling just short 30-24 on the road in the rainy weather.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield struggled to get significant yardage for most of the game, ending up with 200 yards on 31 attempts. Tampa Bay tight end Cade Otton had himself another fantastic performance, however, hauling in a touchdown and 77 yards.
On the ground, Bucs running back Rachaad White got the other touchdown in the 2nd quarter, but the Bucs were otherwise somewhat limited running the ball, ending up with just 95 rushing yards as a team, good for old Bucs teams, but not enough to take down the defending champ Kansas City.
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But the Bucs gave themselves a shot in the end, scoring a touchdown at the end of the game but deciding to kick the extra point to tie instead of going for the two-point conversion, giving Mahomes and Kansas City the chance to win the game in overtime, which they took full advantage of, easily going down and scoring a game-winning TD.
All things considered it was a valiant effort from a banged-up Bucs squad that was without its three best receivers and starting cornerback.
The likelihood of the Bucs winning this game was slim going in, and Bucs fans should be encouraged that Tampa Bay was able to give itself a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, instead of putting the game in the perspective of a really impressive performance against an undefeated team, most people will focus on head coach Todd Bowles’ decision to kick the extra point and leave the game’s fate up to a coin toss and a defense that has struggled to stop anyone, much less Mahomes.
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Needless to say, Tampa Bay ended up with the short end of that deal.
Now the Bucs are 4-5 headed into a home matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, but the schedule fortunately gets much easier. There’s a bye week after that Sunday afternoon matchup, with games against the Giants, Raiders, Panthers, and Saints to round out the season.
Hopefully the Bucs can get hot and sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card, or the Falcons falter and the Buccaneers manage to snatch the division away from Atlanta.
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This article originally appeared on CLTAMPA.COM and is used with permission.
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