The Chiefs improved to 8-0 with their 30-24 overtime win over the Buccaneers on Monday night.
Here are five takeaways from the Week 9 finale.
Mahomes might have the most famous ankle in the world. The three-time Super Bowl champion had an injury scare in the fourth quarter, aggravating an ankle injury he suffered in Week 8 against the Raiders.
Mahomes landed awkwardly on his left foot before tossing a seven-yard touchdown pass to running back Samaje Perine.
The Patrick Mahomes injury: pic.twitter.com/vVN2Ejspd8 https://t.co/3QHWzbk9I3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 5, 2024
He didn't miss any snaps and looked comfortable moving around following the injury. Still, any time the best player in football goes down, people will notice. And as important as he is to the Chiefs' Super Bowl aspirations, we understand why.
It didn't take long for Hopkins to establish a bond with Mahomes. In only his second game with the Chiefs, the three-time All-Pro had eight receptions, 86 yards and two touchdowns.
His best catch was on a third-and-8 in the second quarter. Hopkins caught the 35-yarder in a sea of Buccaneers defenders.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, it had a 12.3 percent completion probability, the fourth-most unlikely reception in the league this season.
HOW DID DEANDRE HOPKINS CATCH THIS?!?
— ESPN (@espn) November 5, 2024
WHAT A PLAY FROM MAHOMES TO HIS NEW WIDE RECEIVER
#TBvsKC | ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/ldmf3xJrwN
Patrick Mahomes' 35-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins has a 12.3% completion probability, the 4th-most improbable completion of the season, and the most improbable by Mahomes since Week 16, 2018.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 5, 2024
Air Distance: 35.1 yards
Target Separation: 0.8 & 1.1 yards
Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/h55GkPKLbS
Hopkins capped the drive with his first touchdown as a Chief, followed by an incredible touchdown celebration inspired by the 2000 film "Remember The Titans."
D HOP WELCOME PARTY‼️ pic.twitter.com/fk8N4ZeMRX
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 5, 2024
Tight end Travis Kelce had a regular-season career-high 14 receptions, showing why Mahomes isn't the only one to benefit from the Hopkins addition.
Tampa Bay, without its top wide receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, showed a lot of fight in the overtime loss.
While the Bucs shouldn't be interested in moral victories, they're not out of the playoff hunt.
At 4-5 and 11th in the NFC, they have a long climb into the top seven of the conference, which can start in Week 10 against the 49ers (4-4).
Tampa's first-year offensive coordinator has impressed in his first season with the organization.
Despite the offensive's limitations against the Chiefs, Coen still put the Bucs in a position to succeed. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was 23-of-31 for 200 yards and two touchdowns, and the offense averaged five yards per carry.
After former offensive coordinator Dave Canales parlayed a successful one-year tenure in Tampa into the Panthers' head-coaching job, Coen could follow a similar trajectory.
The Bucs may have won in regulation if not for a poor decision by head coach Todd Bowles.
Following a touchdown that cut Kansas City's lead to 24-23 with 27 seconds left, Bowles elected against going for two and the win and instead played for overtime.
Against some teams, that strategy might work. But against the best, most clutch quarterback in football? We don't think so.
Bowles put his team's fate in the flip of a coin by playing for overtime. That decision might have cost Tampa Bay a win.
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