The Chiefs give their AFC opponents plenty to think about in their OT win over the Bucs

Not many gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the chance on Monday night to become the first team to hand the mighty Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season. Not when they were without wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

The football crowd guessed right, but the undermanned Buccaneers may have provided the blueprint for how to beat the Chiefs when it really mattered. For starters, go for two if you're just one play away from knocking out the undefeated, back-to-back champions at home. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles will have to come to terms with not hoping for the two-point conversion late in regulation in the Buccaneers' 30-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs. Kansas City will look forward to its seventh comeback win after improving to 8-0.

Things looked even bleaker for Tampa Bay in the first three quarters, but the Buccaneers held on as Baker Mayfield used impressive tight end Cade Otton to get upfield against the best defense of the last two and a half years. It was nitpicking, but you couldn't say the Chiefs have a problem defending tight ends. Finally, an attacking area was cleared for Steve Spagnuolo's defense.

Then the meticulous search for a Chiefs weakness stopped as perhaps the only way to beat the reigning champions in the postseason stared everyone in the face when Mahomes was helped off the field after landing awkwardly on a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter . For several minutes, Chiefs fans worried whether Mahomes would be OK to return to the field to continue the pursuit of a perfect season and winning a third straight Lombardi Trophy. Social media doctors went to work with all their might, trying to assess the extent of Mahomes' ankle injury, while the Chiefs' opponents did their best to banish the bad thoughts lurking in the back of their minds.

No real competitor wants to beat the Chiefs without Mahomes. But everyone at Arrowhead Stadium exhaled in unison as Mahomes sprinted out of the blue medical tent. And the Buccaneers said, “Keep going,” as they pushed the NFL’s last undefeated team into overtime.

The Buccaneers earned a lot of respect for becoming only the second team to score more than 20 points on the Chiefs' defense, and they gained even more admiration for scoring a counterattack after Mahomes' return robbed them of all the momentum. Mayfield orchestrated a 10-play, 71-yard touchdown drive that ended with a one-yard score to Ryan Miller to make the game 24-0 with 27 seconds left in regulation. Then Bowles missed his chance to hand the Chiefs their first loss and potentially save Tampa Bay's season. They are now 4-5 and two games behind the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) in the NFC South standings after already losing the season series to Atlanta.

So back to that one weakness. Future Chiefs opponents should pay close attention to what Mayfield and Otton did in the first three quarters. And yes, it's a small thing, because Mahomes was sensational in the fourth quarter, going 34 of 44 for 291 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Chiefs' defense struggled to protect tight ends George Kittle, Mike Gesicki, Isaiah Likely and Otton, who recorded eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown on Monday night. But perhaps it's a waste of time looking for a weak spot in the Chiefs' defense when Mahomes is punishing the secondaries with DeAndre Hopkins (eight catches, 88 yards, two touchdowns) and Kareem Hunt (106 rushing yards, one touchdown) churning out yards the soil produces. Oh, and Travis Kelce had another top-notch performance as he recorded 14 catches for 100 yards against the Buccaneers.

It was the first time the Chiefs' offense broke the 30-point mark this season, and it may have been their best offensive performance of the year. But for those tired of watching the Chiefs win every week, all hope is not lost. The Buccaneers have proven that the Chiefs are beatable, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Kansas City lose a few games before the playoffs. But this team probably doesn't care about a perfect season. Their goal is to become the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.

Maybe the Buccaneers have shown something useful that the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers or even the upstart Los Angeles Chargers could use when the games matter most. But remember: When you come towards the king, it's best not to miss him. Learn from Bowles' mistakes.