Tyreek Hill's Massive Game Lifts Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Past Tom Brady, Bucs

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes earned his second consecutive victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and his sixth straight win this year by leading the Chiefs to a 27-24 road win Sunday. 

Tyreek Hill had a record-setting day in the victory, the first for the 10-1 Chiefs against the Buccaneers since 1993. With 269 yards—203 of which came in the first half—he collected the most receiving yards ever for a player against the Buccaneers, surpassing a record previously held by Julio Jones, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. 

Two late touchdowns from Brady to wide receiver Mike Evans brought Tampa Bay (7-5) back within three points, but the Chiefs were able to hold them off. 

Notable Performers

• Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs: 13 receptions, 269 yards, 3 TD 
• Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs: 37-49 passing, 462 yards, 3 TD
• Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers: 27-41 passing, 345 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
• Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers: 3 receptions, 50 yards, 2 TD 

King of the Hill

Mahomes and the Chiefs opened with a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, and it was due almost entirely to wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

Through the first nine minutes of the game, Mahomes had 142 passing yards, with 132 of them to Hill. While Hill had a career-high yardage on the day, Mahomes also picked up a new record, with his 75-yard touchdown pass to Hill measuring 60.9 air yards, per ESPN Stats & Info—a career best.

Hill amassed 203 receiving yards in the first quarter—more than any player in an entire game this season—adding two receiving touchdowns. He went on to end the day with 13 receptions, 269 yards and three touchdowns for the Chiefs.

Slow Starts Stifle Bucs

The Buccaneers trailed Kansas City 20-7 at the half, continuing a trend of slow starts.

In their win over the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 15, they were down 14-7 after the first quarter before working up to a 17-17 tie at halftime en route to a 46-23 win. In a romping of the Packers on Oct. 18, they started out down 10-0, and they were down 14-6 to the New York Giants at halftime in their 25-23 win Nov. 2. 

But finally, the slow starts have caught up to them. They trailed 17-14 at halftime against the Los Angeles Rams last week, and they never recovered from the halftime separation this Sunday. Head coach Bruce Arians attributed the trouble to a lack of third-down conversions in speaking to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times on Nov. 11.

"We’re not maintaining possession of the football long enough to start games right now," Arians said.

Tampa Bay is a middle-of-the-road team when it comes to third downs, having entered Sunday converting 43.6 percent of them. On Sunday, one of the most notable features of the first quarter was Tampa Bay's inability to finish. The Bucs converted just three of nine third downs overall, highlighted by three consecutive three-and-out drives in the first quarter. 

The Buccaneers don't have the toughest schedule over the rest of the regular season, with the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and two games with the Atlanta Falcons on tap. But they'll need to find those first downs earlier if they want a chance at success in those contests.

What's Next? 

The Chiefs will host the potentially quarterback-less Denver Broncos, who lost all of their signal-callers—Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles—after they were identified as "high-risk COVID-19 close contacts." Quarterback Jeff Driskel was also moved to the league's reserve/COVID-19 list along with wide receiver Diontae Spencer. Without a quarterback, the 4-7 Broncos fell 31-3 to the 9-2 Saints on Sunday. 

Brady and the Bucs are chasing the Saints for the top spot in the NFC South, but their loss Sunday—which gives them two consecutive losses for the first time this season—pushes them further back with just four games left to play. They'll have some extra time to prepare for their next game against the 5-6 Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 13 as they enter into a Week 13 bye.