This feels familiar as Bucs defense folds in overtime to Chiefs

Another overtime, another defensive collapse, another missed opportunity for the Bucs.

After Baker Mayfield directed an 81-yard drive in the final two minutes to tie the score, the Bucs lost the coin toss in overtime and their fate was pretty much sealed. The Chiefs went 70 yards in 10 plays to score on the first possession and beat the Bucs 30-24 Monday night.

A month earlier, in another prime-time game, the Falcons went 70 yards in four plays to beat Tampa Bay in overtime.

Considering the way the defense has stumbled for most of the year, you could make a strong case that the Bucs would have been better off going for a two-point conversion after Ryan Miller scored on a 1-yard pass from Mayfield with 27 seconds remaining. Instead, head coach Todd Bowles put his faith in the defense and they let him down.

Again.

Going back to last season, Tampa Bay is 4-7 in games decided by seven points or fewer, and the defense has given up last-minute scores in four of those losses.

Kansas City had a huge edge in time of possession and total yards, but the Bucs kept the score close by playing turnover-free football and converting in the red zone. But the defense had a hard time getting Mahomes off the field, allowing the Chiefs to go 12-of-18 on third-down conversions.

Play of the day Generally hate to pick on the game officials, but they blew a call late in the third quarter that had a serious impact on the game. The Bucs were up 14-10 and driving in Kansas City territory. Bucky Irving had an 8-yard run on first down to the Chiefs' 20, but Tristan Wirfs was called for a facemask. Replays clearly showed Wirfs grabbed a player's sleeve and not his facemask. So instead of second and 2 from the 20, the Bucs were first and 25 from the 43. The Bucs ended up settling for a field goal when they had a shot at 10-point lead.

Game ball Well hello, Brett Veach. The Chiefs general manager is often overlooked because of coach Andy Reid's presence on the sideline, but you've got to give Veach credit for this win. Like Tampa Bay, the Chiefs were hurting at receiver in October. Veach acquired former Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins from Tennessee for a fifth-round pick (it will become a fourth if the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl and Hopkins plays 60% of the snaps), and it made all the difference in the world on Monday. Hopkins caught eight passes for 86 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. Considering the Bucs completed only eight passes to four different wideouts all night, the difference was stark.

Keep an eye on You still worried about the receiving corps without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans? You might want to direct some of that concern to cornerback. With Jamel Dean out of the lineup the past two weeks, Kirk Cousins and Mahomes have absolutely torched the Tampa Bay secondary. Between them, the two quarterbacks have completed 57 of 73 passes (78%) for 567 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy just sat up a little straighter in his chair.

NFC South update Technically, this is an update. Realistically, it's the first draft of an obituary. With Atlanta's victory against the Cowboys on Sunday, the Bucs are essentially three games behind the Falcons, if you factor in the tiebreaker. With eight games remaining, that's a lot of ground to make up. The only bright spot for the Bucs is the Saints and Panthers both look hopeless, and Tampa Bay has two games against Carolina and one against New Orleans.

Up next Not the easiest assignment for a team coming off a Monday night game in a different time zone. The 49ers are coming off a bye week, and Christian McCaffrey returned to practice on Monday after missing the first half of the season with an Achilles problem and other nagging injuries. The 49ers and Bucs are both on the edge of the NFC wild-card race.

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