Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from 2 yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in Kansas City, Mo.
DeAndre Hopkins had two TD receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a 2-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
Saints fire coach
The New Orleans Saints fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday, a day after a loss at last-place Carolina extended the Saints’ losing streak to seven games — their longest since 1999.
“DA is an excellent football coach,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. “This season, we’ve had an avalanche of injuries. It took its toll. DA has never offered excuses. He fought each day for this organization and this team and that is what makes today disappointing.”
The Saints named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi the club’s interim coach for the final eight games of what is trending toward a fourth straight season without a playoff berth for New Orleans (2-7).
“This is not a day for celebration,” Rizzi said. “This is a tough day. At the same time, there’s only one way to fight through this.”
Briefly
>> The slumping Raiders fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy as part of an offensive coaching staff shakeup Sunday night, less than a year after Las Vegas hired him. Quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and offensive line coach James Cregg also were let go.
>> Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will miss at least one game with a hamstring injury that the team said Monday is still being evaluated.
>> The Denver Broncos signed outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper to a four-year extension. They also agreed to send outside linebacker Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixth-round pick in 2025.
>> San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice for the first time in nearly two months as he hopes to return from an Achilles tendon injury for the second half of the season.