Arrowhead Pride
On “Monday Night Football,” Kansas City’s offense was lethal on third down — especially in the red zone.
In Week 9, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 on “Monday Night Football” on GEHA Field Arrowhead Stadium.
While it was a narrow overtime victory, Kansas City’s offensive domination on third down drove the win. The team converted 12 of 18 third-down attempts, in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes was 11 for 13 with three touchdown passes.
In the game’s most critical downs, the Chiefs flexed their new offensive muscles.
Before a primetime audience, Tampa Bay gave extra attention to Kansas City’s big playmakers: tight end Travis Kelce and wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Xavier Worthy. On critical downs, this opened opportunities for players like wideout Justin Watson.
On this play — with Worthy running a vertical route and Hopkins on an out route — the defense reacts accordingly by taking away the outside and having two defenders fall deep to cover Worthy. On the opposite side, Kelce stays in to block — but then releases late, which holds another linebacker and opens the middle for Watson. The Buccaneers throw a “coffee house” look at Mahomes, but he doesn’t flinch. He releases the pass to Watson on time to easily convert the third down.
Watson finished the game with three catches for 43 yards. Two of them were on third downs.
Kansas City also used its new downfield talent — and a little improvisation from Mahomes — to find opportunities for others.
Here, we see Hopkins motion across the formation, which draws the defense’s attention. He and Kelce run a high-low concept that pulls multiple defenders with it. Running back Samaje Perine then leaks out of the backfield. Everything is covered, so Mahomes takes off — hoping to make something happen. The flat defender covering Perine (and one of the safeties) fly toward Mahomes — and at the last second, he flips the ball to Perine for a touchdown.
Initially, the defense covered this play perfectly — but Mahomes turned it into an absolute backbreaker on third down.
The game's most electric moments came when Mahomes was able to find Hopkins on third downs, showing the instant chemistry between them — and the ability to change games.
On this third-and-long, the Buccaneers are playing zone coverage to guard the line to gain. Before the snap, Kelce motions right, entering a bunch formation with Hopkins and Worthy. Worthy clears out space by running a deep route that draws the attention of the high safety and cornerback. Kelce runs an out-route — taking away the flat defender — while Hopkins runs an in-route to the sticks.
When his route ends, Hopkins will have a chance for a reception — but pressure forces Mahomes to improvise. After a brief hesitation, Hopkins spots an opening and takes off to exploit it. Mahomes also sees it, firing a near-impossible throw. With defenders closing in, Hopkins...
