Kansas City Gives Tampa Bay Second Consecutive Home Loss of the 2022 Season
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once again struggled throughout this one. The offense was able to get a bit more going, however, the run game was non-existent. The defense struggled tremendously with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs' offense, which ultimately seemed to be the deciding factor in their 41-31 week four loss.
1st Half
The Buccaneers' opened their week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in less than ideal fashion as Rachaad White fumbled the opening kickoff giving the Chiefs great field position at the Bucs' 21-yard line. The Chiefs quickly took advantage of the turnover as Patrick Mahomes found his tight end, Travis Kelce, for a 16-yard touchdown.
On the following Bucs' drive, they were able to drive the ball pretty well, however, it halted at the 27-yard line and was capped off by a Ryan Succop 45-yard field goal.
The Bucs' defense once again got off to a slow start allowing Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes to do pretty much whatever they wanted. After the end of one, the Chiefs took a 14-3 lead into the second quarter.
Lavonte David had a couple of chances to turnover the Chiefs but was unable to fully secure the ball for an interception. Just when the Bucs' seemed to gain some momentum, Brady was sacked and fumbled the ball, giving the Chiefs great field position at the Bucs' 20-yard line. Off the turnover, Kansas City scored with a nifty trick play that saw tight end, Noah Gray, take a direct snap and get into the endzone from one yard out. That touchdown put the Chiefs up 28-10.
The Buccaneers were able to get the ball back with just over two minutes remaining before half. Showing signs of life, Brady drove the offense down the field and capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans - his second of the night. The Bucs went into the half down 28-17.
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Time of possession has leaned heavily in the Chiefs' favor as they have controlled the ball for nearly 20 minutes compared to the Buccaneers' 10 minutes.
Mike Evans secured another milestone as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer - surpassing former RB James Wilder (9,449) as the franchise's all-time scrimmage yards leader with 9,450 yards.
2nd Half
The Buccaneers' second half resembled much of the first half. The Chiefs took the opening drive of the second half to the Bucs' side of the field only to walk away with a 44-yard field goal.
The Bucs' run game was pretty non-existent throughout the whole game, however, rookie running back, Rachaad White has been stealing touches from Leonard Fournette and scored a one-yard touchdown cutting the Chiefs' lead to 15 at the end of the third quarter. Tampa Bay's running game only managed to compile a total of 3 rushing yards, which is very concerning. Mike Evans has been THE bright spot on offense as he has pretty much carried the weight hauling in 8 catches for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Cameron Brate was ruled out of the game with a concussion after colliding with teammate Chris Godwin. Corner Carlton Davis was shaken up on a Chiefs' touchdown and didn't return to the game with a stinger.
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Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes seemed to get whatever they wanted the whole game and that continued into the second half. Long, sustained drives have kept the Bucs' defense on the field and their offense on the sidelines. Travis Kelce presented a matchup nightmare for the Buccaneers as he accumulated 9 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
An overarching theme in this one has been the Buccaneers' defense not playing like the best defense in the league. There were a number of plays where defenders missed assignments and the defensive front had trouble stopping the run. Besides a few sacks and a late interception from backup cornerback, Sean Murphy-Bunting, the defense didn't live up to their expectations in this one.
The team now sits at 2-2 heading into week five. Losing two consecutive games at home is less than ideal for a team that is expected to win no matter what. They need to put together a complete game on both sides of the ball, which we have yet to see. The early season struggles need to be over as the Bucs will have their third home game in a row as they host the NFC South rivals the Atlanta Falcons.
FINAL SCORE: Chiefs 41 Bucs 31
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