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The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-24, in an overtime thriller on Monday night to remain unbeaten on the season.
All tied up at 24 points apiece at the end of regulation, tailback Kareem Hunt rushed ahead for a 2-yard touchdown to complete a game-winning, 70-yard series during the extra period.
“That was a hard-fought game,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “Everybody had a piece of this.”
Hunt accounted for 27 total yards on the series as part of another productive night that included 106 yards on the ground. It was the fourth-straight game in which Hunt muscled forward for at least 50 rushing yards, and his second 100-yard performance of the year.
“[He’s] been fun to watch, man. I mean, he comes in the building – since he’s been here – and he’s got after it every single day,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “He works his tail off, he prepares himself for the moment and then whenever we get down there in like the fourth quarter and at the end of games, he’s going to make those runs.”
Mahomes completed 34-of-44 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns on the night, finding wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a tremendous, 35-yard catch late in the second half. Hopkins then finished off the drive with a touchdown catch – his first as a member of Kansas City – three plays later.
“[Mahomes] has a lot of trust in him, and you’ve seen DeAndre make those catches over his career,” said Head Coach Andy Reid when asked about Hopkins’ 35-yard grab. “You have two great players throwing to each other, sometimes great things happen. It’s not the way we drew it up, but it was a good finish to it.”
The series was part of a big night for Hopkins, who hauled in eight grabs for 86 yards and two scores. His second touchdown – a 5-yard grab late in the fourth quarter – put the Chiefs in front by seven points after Kansas City trailed for much of the second half.
The scoring drive, which included three third-down conversions and a fourth-down conversion, took 15 plays and consumed nearly nine minutes of clock, culminating in Kansas City’s first lead since Hopkins’ first score late in the second quarter.
It was the second of back-to-back scoring drives for the Chiefs, who tied the game when Mahomes connected with tailback Samaje Perine for a 7-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The excitement around the play was briefly followed by concern for Mahomes, who had to be helped off the field due to an ankle injury, but the Chiefs’ All-Pro quarterback returned to the game a series later for Kansas City’s go-ahead drive.
“He’s a competitor,” Reid said. “I told him I was going to take him out, and he about wanted to fight me. He’s a tough kid.”
The Chiefs’ defense, meanwhile, held the Buccaneers to a pair of “three-and-out” possessions amidst Kansas City’s two scoring drives, allowing the Chiefs to tally 14 unanswered points. Tampa Bay refused to go away, however, as quarterback Baker Mayfield led a game-tying, 71-yard scoring drive in the closing seconds of regulation.
Tampa Bay opted for overtime rather than attempting the two-point conversion though, and following a fortuitous coin toss prior to overtime, the Chiefs took possession of the ball and never gave it up.
Kansas City is now 8-0 to begin the year, and dating back to last season, the Chiefs have won a franchise-record 14 consecutive games (including the playoffs). The Chiefs have also now won eight-straight games in which they trailed at some point during the second half, marking an NFL record.
In terms of injuries, Coach Reid mentioned wide receiver Mecole Hardman (shoulder), Mahomes (ankle), defensive end George Karlaftis (hip) and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (knee), but he added that each of those players was able to re-enter the game.
The Chiefs will now need to turn the page quicky with a matchup against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday.