It was still the first quarter.
Hill, superlative quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs scorched the field where the next Super Bowl will be played, holding off a vintage Tom Brady-led comeback for a 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An offense often described as explosive became downright volcanic as Mahomes threw for 359 yards in the first half alone, on his way to a 462 total. Hill had three touchdowns — including scores of 75, 44 and 20 yards. He finished with a whopping 269 receiving yards — good to tie for 15th all-time in a single game.
The Chiefs (10-1) looked like an NBA all-star team from the very first series, running Hill in motion and having Mahomes loft a spiral at him as if it was an alley-oop. Another long pass brought Mahomes close to the goal line, where the quarterback himself went in motion and nearly caught a pass from tight end Travis Kelce. A simple draw play probably could have worked there — and the Chiefs would end up having to settle for a field goal — but when you have Mahomes, risk often brings its own reward.
Meanwhile, the Bucs (7-5) scuffled throughout the first quarter like a used Mazda before revving up later. Brady, who has struggled to unleash the long ball with his usual accuracy, fired several throws over the heads of his receivers. At one point an incomplete throw to Antonio Brown resulted in a stray boo wafting from the socially distanced crowd here.
Yet Brady, 43, is never completely out of it. Before the end of the first half, he faked to running back Ronald Jones, who then jogged out into the flat and caught a pass before dashing upfield and into the end zone. It was a dose of dazzle for a talented offense that has seemed staid at times this season.
The first half ended 20-7, but it felt like a wider margin than that. It often does when Mahomes is on the field.
The highlights only continued after the break, with Mahomes faking an option pass that easily unmoored two Bucs before the quarterback scooted 17 yards. Only a moment later, Mahomes zinged another 20-yard touchdown toss to Hill, giving him 261 yards on the day. By that point he had caught 12 of 13 targets from Mahomes.
The only thing Mahomes and Hill can’t do is play defense, and there were several gaps in Chiefs’ coverage that Brady exploited in the second half. He lofted an arcing 31-yard strike to Mike Evans that closed the lead to 10 in the fourth quarter. Then, after a messy, penalty-filled Chiefs drive, Brady found Evans again with a seven-yard touchdown with less than five minutes to go to close it to three. Things got interesting — and familiar for Brady followers.
But Mahomes, a former MVP who will be one of the favorites again this season, rarely seems addled. Much like Brady himself for so many years, his poise usually overrides his problems. And when he needed to run out the clock, he did — with a combination of precise throws and the occasional scramble that kept Brady from getting a final chance to give Tampa Bay the lead.
The Chiefs’ defending champion offense may be even better this year, with the addition of rushers Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell. But those guys weren’t all too crucial in this game, as Mahomes and Hill turned a soft turf into a paved runway.
The Bucs have something to hold on to, even in the loss. They rallied and Brady’s downfield issues evaporated as this game went on. They are in the thick of the NFC playoff race, holding the sixth seed if the season were to end this week.
Both teams want to play here in February’s Super Bowl — if the pandemic allows — but it seems more likely than ever that the Chiefs, who again reminded that at times they cannot be stopped, will return in 2021.