How Alex Smith and the offense are holding the Chiefs back | The KC Star
First, Reid is right. Lousy call. Lousy call, because it was a predetermined read that relied upon Bucs safety Chris Conte falling for a play-action fake, and Conte did not fall for the play-action fake. The Bucs had consistent problems covering Travis Kelce, whose combination of agility and strength becomes more effective near the goal line, but the call Reid made meant Smith never looked that direction.
Chiefs’ clunker-loss to Bucs deals near-term blow to Super Bowl chatter | The KC Star
The play was such a preposterous mistake that coach Andy Reid didn't even wait for questions before taking blame for a call he insisted was a pre-determined throw in which Smith somehow had no alternatives.
Bad news for Chiefs is not the loss but the way they're playing | ESPN
The true disappointment for the Chiefs is the way they’re playing. It will be difficult, if not impossible, against this upcoming schedule for the Chiefs to win the division with a largely unproductive offense and a defense that’s had little success getting its opponents off the field.
Kevin Haskin: Chiefs’ luck runs out in disappointing home defeat | The Topeka Capital-Journal
"I’m going to take responsibility for not getting into the end zone for touchdowns the way we need to,’’ Reid said.
Buccaneers snap Chiefs' 5-game win streak with 19-17 victory| AP
When some of them started to talk about how great it felt, though, Gerald McCoy set them straight. "He was like, 'That is expected,'" Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston said of their longtime defensive tackle, "and I thought, 'You're right.'"
Chiefs report card: Ds all around in lackluster loss to Tampa Bay | The KC Star
Reason to hope: Going to be honest here; not a ton of positives to take away from this one. The Chiefs lost to a team they should have beaten. If it's any comfort, they were missing four of their most impactful players in cornerback Marcus Peters, receiver Jeremy Maclin, outside linebacker Dee Ford and defensive tackle Jaye Howard.
A sense of football normalcy returns for Chiefs' James Winchester | The KC Star
Winchester didn't speak to reporters after the Chiefs' 19-17 loss Sunday to the Tampa Bay Bucs, a game in which Winchester was perfect on all six of his long snaps, three place kicks and three punts. A moment of silence was devoted to the Winchesters before the game at Arrowhead Stadium.
"For him to miss practice all week and come out and play he did, which was real well, it says something about him," punter Dustin Colquitt said. "He's a rock. We expected that out of him. He's a great guy and that's what you have to do when you have a job like this. Whatever they throw at you, you have to throw strikes."
Critical red-zone turnover dooms Chiefs in 19-17 loss to Tampa Bay | The KC Star
They'd converted just 40 percent of their red-zone opportunities entering the contest, ranking 31st in the league.
"We're not getting in the end zone when we need to," said Reid, who was also bothered by his team's 4-for-8 performance on third downs Sunday. "I've got to make sure I do my part on that and put them in the right position to make plays."
Chiefs working with Native American group on team traditions | AP
The Chiefs' nickname was chosen through a fan contest when the team relocated from Dallas. While many fans chose it based on its Native American connection, it was also chosen in homage to then-Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle -- whose own nickname was "The Chief." The team has phased out many pregame events that have included Native American iconography over the years. A ceremonial war drum is still beaten by a fan prior to kickoff and fans continue to wave their arms in the "tomahawk chop."
Buccaneers vs. Chiefs final score: Tampa Bay wins in Arrowhead Stadium!| Bucs Nation
The win meant Tampa, a week after ending one of the longest home droughts in the NFL, ended the longest active consecutive win steak at home for Kansas City. It was the first time the 7-2 Chiefs lost at home since October of 2015. The win also means that Tampa is now just one game back of the division-leading Atlanta Falcons.
Chiefs vs. Buccaneers: 10 Observations | Chiefs.com
They were hoping for the same thing on Sunday against the Buccaneers, but they fell short of that, as the defense was unable to stop the Bucs from converting a third-and-3 at midfield trailing 19-17 with just over two minutes remaining in the game. On the play, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston went in the direction of the player who has been targeted more than any other in the NFL this season—receiver Mike Evans, who leads the NFL in third-down receptions, touchdown receptions (8), targets (108) and is fifth in yards receiving with 811.
Chiefs QB Alex Smith Talks about the "Difference-Maker" in Sunday’s Game | Chiefs.com
"Just trying to play-action pass down there, trying to sell run hard and come up firing," Smith explained of the play, which resulted in Bucs safety Chris Conte stepping in front of the quick pass and racing 53 yards the other way for the interception, after the game. "You’d love to see it a split second before you throw it. Certainly there, we’re trying to sell-out. I lost vision of the safety down there. I’ve got to see it. It’s hard, it’s a bang-bang play. "Obviously it was probably the difference-maker in the game."
Andy Reid Provides Injury Updates on Dee Ford, Marcus Peters and Others | Chiefs.com
Cornerback Marcus Peters was a game-time decision on Sunday but was eventually ruled inactive with a hip pointer. "He tried his heart out to be out there," Reid said after the game. "Those are painful things." Peters suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of last week’s win against the Carolina Panthers.