Tampa Bay was able to seize some momentum a bit later, however, when the Buccaneers’ defense stopped Kansas City on a short fourth down attempt midway into Tampa Bay territory. The play meant that the Buccaneers – who found the end zone a possession earlier – had the football back and only trailed by 11 points, providing an opportunity to largely negate the Chiefs’ quick start.
That momentum didn’t last long though, as cornerback L’Jarius Sneed strip-sacked Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady on the very next play, flipping possession right back to the Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City didn’t waste its second chance, either, as tight end Noah Gray completed a six-play, 20-yard series with a 1-yard touchdown plunge soon after.
Gray’s score marked the Chiefs’ fourth touchdown of the night, meaning that Kansas City tallied more first-half points (28) than Tampa Bay had previously allowed all season (27 points). It put the Chiefs ahead by 18 points at the time, and while the Buccaneers consistently managed to stick around, Tampa Bay never pulled within a single score.
Tight end Jody Fortson was responsible for the Chiefs’ lone touchdown of the second half, hauling in a 10-yard grab that completed a nine-play, 65-yard series late in the third quarter. His score was sandwiched by a pair of successful field goal attempts by newly-signed kicker Matthew Wright, who was perfect on his seven total kicks (2 field goals, 5 extra points) throughout the evening.
Mahomes completed 23-of-37 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns in the contest, finding Kelce for a team-most nice receptions for 92 yards. The Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end was at his best when he was needed most, too, as four of his nine grabs moved the chains on third down. In fact, the Chiefs efficiency on third down was one of the stories of the game.
Tampa Bay, which entered Sunday night as the top scoring defense and the No. 6 third-down defense in the NFL, yielded conversions on 12 of the Chiefs’ 17 third-down…
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