Tampa Bay 19, Kansas City 17
Here are the top graded players and most noteworthy performances from the Buccaneers 19-17 victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead.
Quarterback grade: Jameis Winston, 50.7
Ups and downs for Winston
It's an interesting paradox — Jameis Winston was both a big reason the Bucs won, but also a key player in why they almost didn't. Winston fought an internal battle between the sublime and the ridiculous, and in the end he can thank a scoreline that hides several sloppy and careless plays that should have been punished. That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of good, such as a beautiful throw down the touchline with 5:53 to go, but it would be wrong to ignore two fumbles he was responsible for (one recovered) and two dropped interceptions that could have changed the game drastically.
Top offensive grades
RB Doug Martin, 87.5
WR Mike Evans, 85.4
RG Ali Marpet, 78.6
C Joe Hawley, 77.9
WR Russell Shepard, 75.5
Doug Martin stands out on offense
It’s amazing how different this offense looks with Martin in there. He didn’t have a run longer than 12 yards but what he constantly did was get good gains that put his team in manageable down and distances. 63 yards on 24 carries doesn’t sound like a lot, but when one factors in that he had 69 yards after contact you get a better idea for how big his contribution was.
Top defensive grades
S Chris Conte 80.3
CB Vernon Hargreaves, 80.1
CB Alterraun Verner, 79.1
DT Clinton McDonald, 74.5
DE William Gholston, 74.2
Verner, Hargreaves shine
Even with Brent Grimes going down and both cornerbacks getting beaten at one time, this was still a game where Verner and Hargreaves shined. Verner broke up two passes and cut off a double move to get the Chiefs offense off the field, while Verner was quick to close on anything short as he really limited the Chiefs yards after the catch ability.
Quarterback grade: Alex Smith, 71.9
Game-altering play defines Smith's day
Alex Smith was actually playing pretty well, but he made one poor, game-defining play and all that good work is forgotten. Granted he largely just dinked and dunked with only three completions over 10 yards in the air, but he did stretch the Buccaneers defense with a couple of perfectly placed long bombs. Still you just can’t make that throw anywhere on the field, let alone in the redzone.
Top offensive grades
RT Mitchell Schwartz, 85.4
RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, 80.2
C Mitch Morse, 78.0
TE Travis Kelce, 77.6
LT Eric Fisher, 75.5
Solid performance from O-line
The Chiefs will look back on this game and wonder why they weren’t able to get more going. They generated movement on the line and got themselves in good situations, but for one reason or another drives stalled and they didn’t capitalize when opportunities presented themselves. It's a shame because the line — led by the excellent Mitchell Schwartz — did a good job, especially when it came to keeping Gerald McCoy quiet.
Top defensive grades
S Ron Parker, 83.1
DE Chris Jones, 82.0
NT Dontari Poe, 81.2
S Eric Berry, 80.9
LB Derrick Johnson, 75.6
Chief's defense allows success through the air
The Chiefs made the Buccaneers work extremely hard on offense, especially in the run game where Rakeem Nunez-Roches (77.1) was playing in the backfield most of the game. But as good as they were in that regard and as much as they stiffened up in the redzone, it was too easy for the Bucs to move the ball in the air with the two lowest-graded players being corners Steven Nelson and Phillip Gaines. For all the highlights he has in his career, Marcus Peters might want to use this game as his biggest negotiating tool when it comes to upping his contract.
PFF Game-Ball winner: Doug Martin
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