Going for the win or tying it up will always be one of the biggest debates in the NFL.
And on Monday night, it was front and center once again after Baker Mayfield charged down the field to get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into the end zone before the end of regulation.
But Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles decided to remain conservative and just kick the extra point for the tie.
However, the minute the overtime coin toss happened, Baker Mayfield’s reaction said it all. The quarterback knew the Buccaneers had just lost the game.
And that’s because Patrick Mahomes got the ball first and there was no way he wasn’t going to get his team into the end zone for the win.
Baker’s reaction to Mahomes and the Chiefs winning the OT coin toss 😅 pic.twitter.com/75hS7WFcTU
— ESPN (@espn) November 5, 2024
After Monday’s primetime win, Mahomes is officially 6-0 in overtime games in the regular season. And in five of those games, he got the ball first.
Patrick Mahomes is now 6-0 in overtime games in the regular season. KC got the ball first five times.
2018 vs. Bal: got ball, won
2020 vs. LAC: didn’t get ball, won
2021 vs. LAC: got ball, won
2022 vs. Ten: got ball, won
2022 vs. Hou: got ball, won
2024 vs. TB: got ball, won https://t.co/n6bkCZNLnj— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) November 5, 2024
After the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked if he was surprised that Tampa Bay didn’t go for two.
“No, but I’m glad he did,” Reid responded.
Bowles also explained his decision, saying that not going for it was not the only thing that lost them that game.
“We wanted to get it to overtime [and] with the wet conditions on the field, we felt like we had to go to overtime instead of go for two,” Bowles told reporters. “So we had our shots. You know, we lost the game.”
This photo just proves what everybody knows: never let Mahomes get the ball first in overtime.
Baker knew it was over after the coin toss 😅 pic.twitter.com/nnbOxRYPe1
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) November 5, 2024
While Bucaneers fans aren’t happy the team decided not to go for two, the Chiefs are certainly thankful for that decision
