Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles defends not going for 2 in loss

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —  Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles defended his decision to kick an extra point rather than try a 2-point conversion to take the lead after his team scored a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in regulation in Monday night’s eventual 30-24 overtime loss to the  Kansas City Chiefs.

“We wanted to get into overtime with the wet conditions on the field, we thought we had to go into overtime instead of going for two. We had our shots. We lost the game,” Bowles said.

The Bucs surrendered a 5-yard touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins with 4:20 to go in regulation that gave the Chiefs a 24-17 lead. After the teams traded quick three-and-outs, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield led an 11-play drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver  Ryan Miller.

But instead of going for two, which could have put Tampa Bay ahead by one point, out came Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin.

“We went for one,” Bowles said. “We took our shots. We had our chances all game. We just lost the game. It didn’t come down to that.”

In Week 9, four teams that scored touchdowns in the last two minutes of regulation decided to kick extra points to tie their games. ESPN Analytics modeling agreed with the decision to kick the extra point in all four instances, but all four of those teams lost.

The Miami Dolphins were tied with 1:38 left and then lost on a 61-yard field goal in regulation vs. the Bills in Buffalo. The New England Patriots tied their game with no time left and then lost on a 25-yard field goal in overtime on the road vs. the Tennessee Titans. The Seattle Seahawks tied with 51 seconds left and then lost on a 39-yard touchdown pass in overtime against the Los Angeles Rams at home. And then the Bucs lost on a 2-yard touchdown run by Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt.

Asked about putting the ball in the defense’s hands, Bowles said, “We were going to take our punches. We were playing OK defensively. We thought we were moving the ball offensively. We thought we had a good shot in overtime. We didn’t make the plays.”

The Chiefs improved to 8-2 in overtime games, including the playoffs, since the start of 2018, when  Patrick Mahomes became the full-time starter, which is the best record of any team in that span.

It marked the Bucs’ second overtime loss in prime time on the road this season in which the defense surrendered a touchdown on the first possession. The Bucs also lost to the  Atlanta Falcons 36-30 in overtime on Thursday night in Week 5.

Since 2012, when the NFL adopted the current regular-season overtime rules, there have been only three other teams that lost multiple prime-time games in overtime in the same season, according to ESPN Research: the 2015 Cowboys, 2021 Chargers and 2022 Broncos (all 0-2).

“It’s tough. You don’t take anything from it but a loss,” Bowles said. “And we can’t get used to losing, and that’s the biggest thing. We’re not going to get used to losing. We had some good plays. We took our swings. They connected more than we did. We fought, but it wasn’t good enough, so we got to get ready next week for another one.”

The Bucs have won the NFC South title the past three seasons, and prior to that, they defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV as a wild card, but they now have lost three straight games, slipping to 4-5 and below .500 for the first time this season.

It started with their 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago in which receivers  Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both were injured. Miller was called up from the practice squad shortly after, and his touchdown Monday night was the first of his NFL career. However, Mayfield was missing a third receiver against the Chiefs in rookie  Jalen McMillan, who was out because of a hamstring injury.

Mayfield showed a bit of frustration when the Bucs lost the coin toss in overtime.

“Against a team with an offense like that, you can only give them so many chances,” Mayfield said. “They win the coin toss, and that’s what happens. I’m proud of our guys on offense that stepped up. Coach had a good message … ‘We’re that close. Don’t get used to losing but just turn this thing around. We’ve got a home game next week against an NFC opponent, and we’ve got to find a way to win. That’s it.'”

Mayfield said nearly knocking off the NFL’s only unbeaten team on the road was no consolation prize.

“Right now, it’s about us,” Mayfield said. “It doesn’t matter who we play. We need to focus on doing our job and finding ways to win. That’s all that matters. We just have to stop the skid. We have to look at the things of why we lost when we look at the tape and go from there.”