What we learned from Kansas City's 30-24 OT win

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1. Mahomes, Chiefs continue to win with their brand. Gone are the days of Kansas City's highly explosive offense that terrified the rest of the NFL, and in its place is a frustratingly consistent offense that is incredibly difficult to force off the field. Kansas City converted 12 of 18 third-down attempts on Monday night and can thank them Patrick Mahomes and his artistry in making this possible. His 7-yard flip to Samaje Perine Because a touchdown was a prime example of Mahomes finding ways to succeed amid chaos, as were his 14 connections with Travis Kelce (for 100 yards). Even after tweaking his ankle on the Perine TD, Mahomes was able to keep the train moving, albeit slowly. Speed ​​didn't matter – it was actually an advantage. The Chiefs added a relatively new lane Monday night, dominating on the ground with a methodical, grinding, run-heavy scoring drive that took 8:26 of play and ended with a game-tying 4-yard slant to DeAndre Hopkins touchdown in the fourth. When they won the ball in overtime, everyone in Arrowhead Stadium and the national viewing audience knew what was coming: another slow, steady ride built on hard work Kareem Hunt Runs and precise short to medium passing game. The final two plays were fitting: a sharp pass to Kelce inside Tampa Bay's 5-yard line and a physical 2-yard touchdown run by Hunt that put the Chiefs up 8-0. It's neither explosive nor spectacular, but through nine weeks the Chiefs have proven that they will prevail and challenge any opponent in their path to stop them.
2. Buccaneers adjust after offensive losses. With Mike Evans And Chris Godwin Tampa Bay was out of action and entered Week 9 knowing it had to change the way it operates to give itself the best chance to win. Enter tight end Cade Ottonthe de facto WR1 who went absolutely nuts a week earlier and then racked up a string of quality catches to keep this offense going. However, the Bucs' verticality largely disappeared Baker Mayfield found a way to keep the offense going by leaning heavily on Otton, a multi-headed rushing attack and a more lateral passing attack that led to them stringing together two touchdown drives in the second and third quarters. Even with the game on the line, Tampa Bay didn't attempt a shot from deep, instead relying on Mayfield's improvisation and ability to find targets on the run. His touchdown pass to Ryan Miller was the perfect end to a drive that required Mayfield to make magic with a cast led by himself Sterling Shepard, Rakim Jarrett And Trey Palmerwhich shows that Mayfield's determination is a big part of what makes him an effective NFL quarterback. They lost on Monday night, but Buccaneers fans must feel good about having their offense in the hands of offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who proved that losing his team's top two pass catchers isn't fatal.
3. D-Hop leaves its mark. DeAndre Hopkins joined the Chiefs a little over a week ago and had a quiet debut, catching two passes for 29 yards. That wasn't the case on Monday evening. Hopkins caught eight passes for 86 yards, including a difficult 35-yard grab between two defenders that set up the first touchdown of the night: another Hopkins catch from 1 yard out. When Kansas City brought in the veteran, the hope was that he would give Mahomes a legitimate receiver option in a lineup that desperately needed it. That's exactly what he did against the Buccaneers, giving Mahomes a target that didn't exist in the wide receiver group. His second score — a 5-yard grab caught on a sharp slant along the goal line — seemed inevitable. Consider this trade a success already.
4. Bowles' defense is running out of energy. Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles is known for being aggressive with his offense to wreak havoc on opposing offenses, but on Monday night he rarely had the opportunity to unleash his rushers. With the ground game keeping them honest and Mahomes' improvisation quite a challenge, the Buccaneers blitzed just five times and posted a pressure rate of under 25 percent. That made for a low-scoring affair, but the real testament to Bowles' unity came when Mahomes and Co. launched a slow and steady scoring spree in the fourth quarter, imposing their will on the Buccaneers' defense over 15 plays. By the time the Chiefs reached Tampa Bay's red zone, the Buccaneers looked exhausted. Andy Reid's boa constrictor-like approach worked almost perfectly, and when the Buccaneers managed to take the game into overtime, no one was surprised when Reid followed the same blueprint and beat the Buccaneers' defense with a 10-play, 70-yard march . When the dust settled, one thing was clear: the Buccaneers lost the war of attrition against the defending champions.
5. Spagnuolo's defense endures a challenging night. Mahomes may be in the spotlight, but Spagnuolo's unity is a big reason the Chiefs became champions again last season. It was a sneaky strength and a great addition to Reid's methodical attack this season, but on Monday night it took on an uncharacteristic look. The Chiefs struggled to generate pressure, failing to stop Mayfield and the Buccaneers in the final two and a half minutes of regulation and getting lucky when the Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime. Of course there were bright spots. Kansas City stopped Tampa Bay's rushing attack and held them to under 100 yards rushing as a team. The Chiefs held the Buccaneers under 300 yards as a team on a wet night in Kansas City. They forced two Buccaneers punts after taking a 17-10 lead late in the third, giving the Chiefs two possessions to tie and then take the lead. But for the first time in a long time, they were no longer the oppressive entity they were known to be. Mayfield often found open targets on his routes and was able to maintain momentum with his obvious preferred target, Otton. The Chiefs came out victorious, but we can be confident that they will use this game replay to correct a few things in the future.

Insight into next-generation stats from the Buccaneers Chiefs (via NFL Pro): Deandre Hopkins caught six of his seven targets on in-break routes for 70 yards and two touchdowns, his most yards on such routes since Week 14, 2020. Hopkins' +8.6 receiving EPA on in-breakers is also his highest since Start of 2018.

NFL Research: The last time a team that was 7-0 or better won an overtime game and remained undefeated was in 2009, when the Saints beat Washington in Week 13. At the end of the 2009 season, the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV.