Chiefs report card: Mahomes, Hill go to the head of the class, and defense was improved
The Chiefs held off the Tampa Bay Bucs 27-24 in a classic battle between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.
They combined to pass for 807 yards and six touchdowns Sunday afternoon.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
By the end of the first quarter, Tyreek Hill was 12 yards away from his career high in receiving yards for a game. He had 203 at the time. He finished with 13 receptions for 269 yards. Both are career bests. He also matched his career best with three touchdown receptions in a game. After his third touchdown, a CBS camera caught Hill pretending to field call on the bench, turning to Bucs’ fans and saying, “Help is on the way.”
Reason to hope: A victory over a Tom Brady-led team is always satisfying, and the Chiefs will look to return to Tampa Bay in February for the Super Bowl. They’ll be familiar with the surroundings.
Reason to mope: The Chiefs came up with two third-quarter interceptions. The defense had stopped Tampa Bay drives. But the offense couldn’t take advantage. The Chiefs went three and out both times. Also, 10 penalties against the Chiefs. Way-yyyyy too many.
Next: The Denver Broncos visit Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The game is set for Sunday Night Football on NBC (Ch. 41) with a 7:20 p.m., kickoff. It’s presumed the Broncos will have their quarterbacks out of quarantine and available.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
An amazing start for Mahomes, Hill and the Chiefs. The Bucs foolishly single-covered Hill, mostly with cornerback Carlton Davis getting burned. Travis Kelce did his thing (eight catches, 82 yards), and it was good to see Sammy Watkins back in action for the first time since Week 5. And when the Chiefs needed to keep the ball at the end to prevent a last-gasp drive by Brady and the Bucs, a Mahomes-Hill connection for a first down was the game-clinching play. And how about Kelce’s second pass attempt in two weeks? From the 1, he wound up the ball on the double reverse and appeared to have Mahomes open briefly in the end zone. But the ball was batted away and the Chiefs settled for a field goal
Rushing offense: B
The Bucs are terrific up front and have a great rushing defense, so not much was expected here. The best rushing play of the game was provided by Mahomes, who went for 17 on a option keeper. Mahomes’ two first-down keepers on the final drive allowed the Chiefs to keep possession. The Chiefs finished with 85 yards on the ground and outgained Tampa Bay.
Passing defense: B
After a rough start, Tom Brady warmed up and looked like the six-time Super Bowl champion, especially when he was connecting with Rob Gronkowski. But Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo dialed up more blitzes and it was pressure by safety Tyrann Mathieu that forced Brady’s third-quarter underthrow that was intercepted by Bashaud Breeland. One series later, Mathieu was in the right place at the right time, intercepting a pass that bounced on Dan Sorensen’s helmet. But the Chiefs gave up a Brady to Mike Evans touchdown pass on fourth and 3 early in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs picked up their first sack of the game with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Two roughing the passer penalties on Frank Clark kept alive the Bucs’ final touchdown drive.
Rushing defense: A
Ronald Jones II ripped off a 34-yard run but he finished with 66, and that’s a victory for the Chiefs. Tampa Bay finished with 75 rushing yards. It helped to gain a 17-0 lead. But the defense was improved over the previous two games.
Special teams: B
Mecole Hardman did an excellent job holding on to the ball on a punt return when he was hit immediately. Harrison Butker booted a pair of short field goals and made all of his extra points. Punter Tommy Townsend needed a coffin-corner kick in the fourth quarter, but his 23-yard shank set up the Bucs at the 27.