- Chiefs prevented Tampa Bay’s comeback in the last period, winning the game 27-24
- Tyreek Hill and Mahomes were unstoppable in the first half, demolishing the Bucs’ defense.
- Tom Brady was mediocre, once again struggling against top-ranked rivals.
Hill Dominates Early On
Chiefs’ WR, Tyreek Hill, had 203 of his 269 yards in the first period, becoming only the third player since 1980, with 200+yards in the opening 15 minutes. Eventually, Hill ended the night with three touchdowns and 13 receptions in 15 targets.
“It feels good, but there’s still a lot of work for me to do,” Hill said. “I’m always looking to get better.”
The guests led 17-0 after the first period, setting the tone and convincingly seizing control of the field. Brady had no chance to establish his passing game, with the hosts putting the football on their first four possessions.
On the other side, Mahomes was orchestrating his offense perfectly, having multiple options in each snap. After overexploiting Hill, the 2018 MVP turned his attention to other teammates who were equally efficient.
Mahomes had 359 passing yards in the first half, and 452 overall, with three touchdowns, adding 28 yards on the ground. As said, all of his three TDs ended in Hill’s arms.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 37 yards on 11 carries and Le’Veon Bell 22 on five, and even though these are bad numbers, the Chiefs didn’t need for better.
Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 82 yards, and Sammy Watkins got back on the pitch with four receptions for 38 yards.
.@dwilson_6 had the mic against the Bucs 🎙 pic.twitter.com/IGhTRyiit4
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 3, 2020
Brady’s Struggles
Something is definitely not right with the Bucs’ offensive line. They have Tom Brady, two elite wide receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and yet they can’t provide consistent performances.
The three-time MVP threw 345 yards tonight, 27-for-41, had three touchdowns and two picks, one by Tyrann Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland. His start of the game was very frustrating, with Brady experiencing back-to-back three-and-outs.
Tampa was on the surge in the late phase of the game, but their defense couldn’t take the ball from Mahomes, who held it for the last 4 minutes and 10 seconds.
“We battled back, but we left ourselves a big deficit,” Brady said. “When you play a good offense, we’ve got to do our job offensively and keep them off the field.”
The ground game was poor as well, with Ronald Jones II having nine snaps for 66 yards. He did score a touchdown in the second period, with a 37-yard reception, but Jones wasn’t there when needed to move the chains, especially in the first half.
Evans caught two touchdown passes, ending the night with three receptions for 50 yards. Rob Gronkowski was leading Tampa Bay’s receiving core with 106 yards, with Godwin behind, yielding 97.
The Buccaneers are now 7-5, currently occupying No.6 in the NFC. They have a week bye and, after that, host the Minnesota Vikings before visiting the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs are 10-1, sitting behind the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC. They will have a challenging few games until the end of the regular part of the season. After playing against the Broncos at home next week, Mahomes and his crew visit the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints.
