The Kansas City Chiefs offense dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s number one ranked scoring defense leading to a Week 4 victory for KC.
It appears the shaky and uninspired showing against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 reinvigorated the Kansas City Chiefs, as the Patrick Mahomes-led offense put on an absolute spectacle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the tune of a 41-31 victory.
Mahomes once again performed like only he is capable of, executing impossible passes and generally making the Bucs’ defense pay dearly throughout the game. It’s easy to get caught up in the theatrics unleashed by Mahomes, but the statistics put forth by Kansas City’s offense deserve some attention as well.
The Buccaneers entered the Week 4 matchup with the best scoring defense in the league, holding opponents to just 27 points total through the first 3 weeks, an impressive 9 points per game on average. Fortunately for Mahomes however, it takes a lot more than football’s best defense to hold him down. In fact, according to NFL Network’s James Palmer, this Week 4 matchup was the 7th time Mahomes has been tasked with facing off against the top-ranked scoring defense. Kansas City’s QB1 has dominated these games and now boasts an imposing record of 6-1 in them.
The Buccaneers’ defense didn’t appear to have any answers for the offensive attack of the Chiefs. Kansas City put up 28 points in just the first half, more than the Bucs allowed in the first three weeks combined. The numbers just keep getting better though. The 41 points scored by the Chiefs are the most allowed by the Buccaneers since Week 6 of 2018. When given a functional offensive line the NFL’s best quarterback is simply too busy throwing dimes to worry about how good opposing defenses are.
In addition to Mahomes doing what he does best, the Chiefs’ rushing attack showed out in Week 4. The one-two punch of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and rookie Isiah Pacheco was able to effectively gash the Buccaneers on the ground throughout the game, as the running schemes utilized proved effective in allowing them to find space through the use of pulling guards and including sets with extra tight ends.
All said and done the Chiefs racked up 189 rushing yards and 5.1 yards per attempt. Once again, this yields an impressive takeaway as this is the most rushing yards allowed by the Buccaneers dating back to Week 14 of 2018. Furthermore, this impressive performance on the ground when paired with K.C.’s ability to destroy Tampa Bay’s rushing game marks another fun stat. According to Reuben Frank of NBCS, it marks the “first time since 1961 a team has rushed for 180+ yards and allowed 3 or fewer yards”.
Up and down the board, the Chiefs’ offense was able to find success. They retained possession for over 38 minutes, thereby limiting Tampa’s chances of getting back into it. This was aided by KC’s ability to keep drives alive through converting on 12 of their 17 third-down situations. When the dust had cleared and the game had been won the Chiefs’ offense had earned 417 yards and a statement win against a team that handed them their sourest loss in recent years.
As the Chiefs look to ride the momentum of their offensive explosion throughout their schedule, fans should relish in the potential that is still left untapped. Rookie receiver Skyy Moore has yet to be unleashed, though he has shown some nice flashes to start the year. Isiah Pacheco could earn more snaps. Offensive tackle Lucas Niang should return at some point to help shore up pass protection around the edge. Currently, there’s a lot to be happy about as the Chiefs sit at a 3-1 record and lead the AFC West. However, there’s a strong possibility that the offense will only continue to improve as the weeks stack up.