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Baker Mayfield says he didn't lobby for Bucs to go for 2 vs. Chiefs

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on

Published in Football

TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield threw the touchdown pass to Ryan Miller that left the Buccaneers an extra point from tying the game against the Chiefs Monday night in Kansas City and hopefully sending it to overtime.

Though there were 27 seconds still remaining in regulation, a 2-point conversion would have gone a long way toward helping the Bucs upset the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

But head coach Todd Bowles opted to kick the extra point and tie the game. Mayfield lost the coin toss at midfield, and the Chiefs took the ball first in overtime. They marched 70 yards in 10 plays, with running back Kareem Hunt scoring on a 2-yard run to give Kansas City a 30-24 win that kept it undefeated.

Did Mayfield want to go for the 2-point conversion or leave things to a coin toss?

“I didn’t lobby for it,” Mayfield said. “I mean, hindsight’s 20/20 when you look at it. We had a little momentum there after the long drive. They were gassed a little bit. But, yeah, hindsight is 20/20. You’re hoping to win the coin toss.”

It was the second time this season the Bucs lost on the first possession of overtime and Mayfield didn’t get his hands back on the football. It first happened in a 36-30 loss to the Falcons Oct. 3 in Atlanta.

“It just sucks not being able to have a chance to go win the game at that point,” Mayfield said. “Not knowing that, but not getting the first shot at it is really the disappointing part, which is why the coin toss kind of decided what the game was going to do and the outcome of it. It is what it is.”

Mayfield acknowledged he hasn’t been very good at predicting the coin toss.

“I did heads in Atlanta,’” he said. “I thought I would switch it up. Maybe if I go back and talk to somebody, the odds will be to go for heads again. Also, with the rain, the coin stuck in the mud. I think it might have had another bounce or two if the conditions — there’s a lot that factors into it.”

Mayfield said he wishes the NFL would tweak its overtime rules to allow each team to possess the football at least once.

“I’m not a fan of the overtime rules. Obviously, it’s gotten us twice now,” he said. “So yeah, overtime rules are not the best.”

Bowles said there has been some discussion about the rules, but he’d like to see more.

 

“It’s something that’s been lightly talked about that we’ll talk about more as the season goes on, and we’ll have meetings about that and see where it goes after the season as far as putting it on the competition committee,” he said. “But it’s definitely being talked about.”

Niners concerns

The Bucs have lost to the 49ers each of the past two seasons, with both games played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Sunday, Tampa Bay will host the defending NFC champions. Worse, the Niners will be coming off a bye week and getting healthier.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons,” Bowles said. “They can run the ball as well. They’ve got a very good offensive line. (Quarterback Brock Purdy) can just throw to the open guy. They have five talented guys that can catch the football. We’ve got to be sound, and we’ve got to be able to get pressure on them.”

Injury updates

Bucs defensive lineman Greg Gaines (calf) “is trending toward the right way,” Bowles said.

Wide receiver Jalen McMillan aggravated a hamstring strain last week in practice and wasn’t able to play against the Chiefs. “It just took a turn for the worst,” Bowles said. “We’ll see how he feels.”

Wide receiver Mike Evans worked with a trainer on another field as he recovers from his hamstring injury. He is expected to return for the Nov. 24 game against the Giants following the Bucs’ bye week.

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