3 Buccaneers to blame for missing out on handing Chiefs first loss of season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were entering a much-anticipated, primetime matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs shorthanded. The Buccaneers were without top wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin due to injury. Even without them, the Buccaneers were still confident in their chances.

On Monday night, the Buccaneers forced overtime against the Chiefs after quarterback Baker Mayfield connected with wide receiver Ryan Miller on a one-yard touchdown with just 27 seconds remaining.

However, it was the Chiefs who stood victorious, as they won 30-24 after Kareem Hunt scored on a goal line carry. With that, the Chiefs improve to 8-0 on the season, while the Buccaneers fall to 4-5 on the year, and two games back of the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South.

All in all, it was a promising game for the Buccaneers, as they pushed the Chiefs to the limit, but it wasn't enough. As for who to blame, these three stand out.

3 Buccaneers to blame for missing out on giving Chiefs their first loss of the sesaon

3. Antoine Winfield Jr., S

Here us out on this one. Yes, Antoine Winfield Jr. is a stud defensive back for the Buccaneers, and he had a hell of a game, recording 12 total tackles. But Winfield had not one, but two opportunities to help propel the Buccaneers to victory.

On second-and-one, Patrick Mahomes threw a pass intended for Travis Kelce, but it was tipped up into the air by linebacker K.J. Britt. Winfield dove for the ball, but just missed out on the interception.

On the following play, Winfield perfectly read the Chiefs play — which was a Mahomes pass to DeAndre Hopkins. Winfield dove forward for the interception, but dropped the football again. That's two near interceptions on back-to-back plays.

If Winfield had hauled in any of those two interceptions, the Buccaneers would have been inside Kansas City territory with a chance to kick a game-winning field goal. It was just extremely bad luck for Winfield.

2. Josh Hayes, S

Second-year safety Josh Hayes had a rough outing against the Chiefs. It's not easy playing defense against Mahomes. But Hayes had the unenviable task of defending a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. It didn't pan out well for him.

In the first half, Hayes was beaten on a goal-line route by Hopkins, who found himself wide open in the back of the end zone to give the Chiefs a 10-7 lead. Then, in the fourth quarter, Hayes found himself lined up at the goal line against Hopkins again, only to get passed by Hopkins for his second touchdown of the game.

There was some positive from Hayes' on Monday, as he recovered a fumble by Travis Kelce. Overall, he recorded six total tackles (five solo, one assisted) and one pass defended.

1. Todd Bowles, Head coach

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers nearly handed the lone undefeated team their first loss of the season. It was a solid job by head coach Todd Bowles, considering the amount of injuries he is dealing with this season.

But Bowles did himself no favors at the end of regulation. The Buccaneers had pulled to a 27-26 score after a Mayfield touchdown pass to Miller on their final offensive drive. The Buccaneers had the chance to either force overtime and give Mahomes another chance to pick up the win, or go for two and leave Kansas City with their fifth victory of the season. Even ESPN analyst Troy Aikman was imploring the Buccaneers to go for two.

Bowles opted for the former, saw Mayfield lose the coin toss, and never have a chance to get the football back after Hunt's game-winning touchdown. It was over, just like that.

The head coach didn't really help his case after the game, saying that the rain in Kansas City played a role in his decision to force overtime. Yet, the Buccaneers marched down the field in the rainy conditions to pull within one point near the end of regulation. And kicking an extra point would be a bit more difficult with rainy conditions.

Yes, the Chiefs had 27 seconds left on the game clock and three timeouts to work with, and they could have potentially won the game before heading to overtime. Anything could have happened. But the decision to play it safe instead of going for the win ultimately cost the Buccaneers.