What We Saw: Week 4

The What We Saw team recaps everything you missed from Sunday's NFL action

Ben Brown
What We Saw 2 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Dolphins @ Bengals
Vikings @ Saints
Browns @ Falcons
Bills @ Ravens
Commanders @ Cowboys
Seahawks @ Lions
Chargers @ Texans
Titans @ Colts
Bears @ Giants
Jaguars @ Eagles
Jets @ Steelers
Cardinals @ Panthers
Patriots @ Packers
Broncos @ Raiders
Chiefs @ Buccaneers
Rams @ 49ers

Chiefs @ Buccaneers

Final Score: Chiefs 41, Buccaneers 31

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

Emotions were high in the Tampa Bay area after the carnage inflicted by Hurricane Ian over the past week, so the prospect of Patrick Mahomes facing off with Tom Brady in a treat matchup on Sunday Night Football was enough to lift the spirits for a short time. The Buccaneers looked shellshocked right from the start, however. Rookie Rachaad White coughing up the opening kick off to give the Chiefs an early advantage.

 

Mahomes made the Bucs pay early by going to his favorite target to put the Chiefs up after just two plays – Travis Kelce hauling in a slant over the middle before hurdling over a man to hit the end zone.

 

It didn’t stop there as the Chiefs humiliated the Bucs defense time and time again in the first half, toying with coverage and exposing the space in front of the secondary at will. Kansas City were relentless in streaking out to a 21-3 lead before anyone in the stadium realized what was going on. This phenomenal flip pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire on a broken play on second down and goal perfectly summarizing the mood Mahomes and company were in for this one.

 

That moment of magic from Mahomes seemed to light a fire in the Bucs and they finally mounted some resistance with a 6-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that saw the welcome return of Mike Evans after missing last week with a suspension. Evans caught two passes for 43 yards on the drive including the tough grab for six. It was the start of a big night for the big unit.

 

The Chiefs were not to be stopped, however. On the next Tampa Bay drive L’Jarius Sneed went unchecked on a blitz and inflicted a heavy hit on Brady, the ball coming loose before big Chris Jones recovered it deep in Bucs territory.

 

Once again, Mahomes duly respond with another bit of trickery to put his team up big just prior to the half, punishing the Bucs turnover. The signal-caller faking communications towards Kelce to allow young tight end Noah Gray to take the direct snap and sneak it in.

 

Brady was once again inspired to respond despite a stiff shoulder after that earlier hit from Sneed. The Bucs forced a pass interference penalty in the end zone on Cameron Brate and Brady stepped up with this dime for Evans to score his second of the game. Hope rekindled.

https://gfycat.com/weightysmallkitty

 

The second half was subtly exciting in comparison to the first, however Mahomes kept dealing when he needed to. He threw his third touchdown pass of the night to tight end Jody Fortson as he started to spread the love around – a beautiful play design this one with four receivers lined up on one side leaving the big tight end one-on-one against the undersized cornerback.

 

Mahomes threw an untimely pick late in the fourth quarter which made it interesting for a short time as the Bucs sensed a flicker of hope once more. Brady hit Evans, Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette before the veteran back salvaged a quiet fantasy night with a receiving touchdown with less than four minutes to play.

 

The game never felt as close as it got at the end but the Chiefs leaned on CEH in the final moments to chew up the clock and moved to 3-1. An entertaining way to spend your Sunday night. Now smile for the cameras.

 

Kansas City Chiefs

 

Quarterback

 

Patrick Mahomes: 23/37, 249 Yards, 3 TD, INT | 4 Carries, 34 Yards

 

A vintage showing from one of the games spectacular superstars – Patrick Mahomes bringing the class, execution and razzle dazzle to spur the Chiefs to a big win over a familiar enemy. It was a clinic from Mahomes, who enjoyed the mixed bag of tricks Andy Reid provided him with in the playbook. He made things happen all over the field in every situation in this one. Catch him if you can.

 

Mahomes moved the chains on a number of scoring occasions, using his feet more than last season when lingering worries about the ankle injury probably inhibited him from doing so. That doesn’t seem to be an issue anymore, so just another weapon on third down for Reid to dip into.

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His execution downfield was almost flawless against one of the best secondaries in the league. Mahomes used a mix of quick throws, misdirections and deceptions to outgun the Bucs defensive backs. This throw to Marques Valdes-Scantling on the first touchdown drive in the third quarter was outright brilliant.

https://gfycat.com/onlywastefulaplomadofalcon

 

The only knock on Mahomes was that he missed a wide-open Mecole Hardman for a long touchdown, but just two plays later he found Jody Fortson for six anyway. He was that good. The late interception was uncharacteristic compared to the rest of his showing, however it happened with a big 17-point lead with less than five minutes to play. We’ll allow it.

 

Running Back

 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 19 Carries, 92 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 2 Yards, TD

Isiah Pacheco: 11 Carries, 63 Yards

Jerrick McKinnon: 2 Carries, -1 Yard | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard

 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire‘s fantasy production does not tell the whole story about this rushing attack as rookie Isiah Pacheco once again outshone the former LSU back with his running style and determination to attack holes and gain extra yards. Pacheco had plenty of involvement throughout and made key runs on a number of touchdown drives.

https://gfycat.com/firstunderstatedbighornedsheep

 

Pacheco ran hard and his share of touches was both deserved and earned. CEH was still a big part of this win and his production around the red zone in particular bumped up his limited output on the ground until late on. He had already scored two touchdowns in the first quarter before adding tehe cheeky Mahomes flip early in the second. So, his final line was a little underwhelming considering that start. He wasn’t really a factor for the rest of the game until it got to bleed the clock dry time. Still, his fantasy renaissance continues in 2022.

 

At the end of the game, CEH was given the rock to run out the clock on added six carries for just 14 yards. Pacheco got it once and ran for seven. It’s an offense where both rushers are relevant in terms of fantasy going forward. Pacheco is a nice add on waivers coming up to the bye weeks. He’s in line for a FLEX start.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Travis Kelce: 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 92 Yards, TD

Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 63 Yards

JuJu Smith-Schuster: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 46 Yards

Skyy Moore: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards

Jody Fortson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards, TD

Mecole Hardman: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

Noah Gray: 1 Carry, 1 Yard, TD | 1 Target

Justin Watson: 1 Target

 

The best tight end in all of football (and it is not even close), Travis Kelce had another monster night with Mahomes feeding him consistently and specifically every time they made their way into Bucs territory. The connection between the two produced this fantastic throw from Mahomes and even-better catch from Kelce in the fourth quarter to move the sticks and stymie any potential Bucs comeback.

https://gfycat.com/importantdeliciousdutchsmoushond

 

Slowly becoming the clear second option for Mahomes in the early part of the season, JuJu Smith-Schuster was once again productive without hitting paydirt. He had plenty of the ball and continues to be a solid fantasy option in the FLEX spot with upside for big weeks if he can add a touchdown here or there. There was an insightful report on the telecast with JuJu quoted in pre-game interviews that he has learned more in a few months under Andy Reid than in his entire five seasons in Pittsburgh. Burn! If you drafted JuJu as a WR2, however, this won’t cut it.

 

An afterthought so far in 2022, former Packers recruit Marques Valdes-Scantling finally broke out with a couple of big plays in this game for the Chiefs. His fantasy value has dropped significantly in the last couple of weeks and this output doesn’t change things too much but at least he does have a role that may develop further going into the bye rounds.

 

We did have a Skyy Moore sighting on a key third down play to setup a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The second-round rookie has been limited to special teams mainly, and that has been rough going. However, he ran a nice route to get open on this play and provide Mahomes with an easy conversion for extra yards.

https://gfycat.com/vengefullittlejellyfish

 

Moore could take a role away from Mecole Hardman, who looks to be on borrowed time in Kansas City and registered just one catch for a measly four yards. Yikes! And when a cast of thousands like Noah Gray, Justin Watson and Jody Fortson keep getting looks to makes this offense more unpredictable, Hardman can’t expect an uptick in work.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Quarterback

 

Tom Brady: 39/52, 385 Yards, 3 TD, 1 Fumble (Lost)

 

Fantasy managers rejoice! After going down 21-3 early in the second quarter, Tom Brady was given the passing playbook to execute at will to try and dig the Bucs out of the big hole. The result, 52 passing attempts in comparison to just six running plays. Brady threw multiple touchdown passes for the first time this season and amassed a healthy 25.40 fantasy points (in Yahoo! leagues). He went to his favorite duo time and time again, with both Evans and Godwin notching double figures in targets.

The fantasy score was way better than the reality, however, as Brady struggled to move the offense at key moments. The fumble after being sacked by Sneed was crucial as the Bucs had just stopped the Chiefs on fourth down and it felt like the momentum in the game was changing – the Bucs were down by just 11 at this stage.

Brady did make some top quality throws in this but the 14-point swing over the two turnovers were even too much for him to claw back from. That pass to Evans deserves the every angle look though. He remains a top 12 play at the position each week.

 

Running Back

 

Rachaad White: 3 Carries, 6 Yards, TD | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 50 Yards | 1 Fumble (Lost)

Leonard Fournette: 3 Carries, -3 Yards | 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 57 Yards, TD

 

For the first time in Brady’s career, his team had -3 rushing yards at the half. At one point, the Bucs ran 16 straight pass plays as they completely abandoned the run after half time. Only two passes on a garbage time short-field drive, one of them for a touchdown, saved Leonard Fournette‘s night from being a total disaster.

With the Bucs going down so big so early, rookie Rachaad White saw the field a bit more in the passing offense. Despite the early fumble to open the game, White had some nice catch-and-runs out of the backfield and looks like a genuine option as a pass-catcher in PPR leagues. It was nice to see him also get the goal line carry for the score after touching the ball five times for 23 yards in the build up on a scoring drive at the end of the third quarter.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Mike Evans: 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 103 Yards, 2 TD

Chris Godwin: 10 Targets, 7 Receptions, 59 Yards

Cameron Brate: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 32 Yards

Cade Otton: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 29 Yards

Russell Gage: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 24 Yards

Ko Kieft: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 19 Yards

Julio Jones: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Cole Beasley: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards

 

Isn’t it good to be back, Mike? After missing last week’s narrow defeat to the Packers, Mike Evans returned and did what he does best for fantasy managers when connecting with his quarterback – makes plays and scores touchdowns. Evans was the go-to option for Brady once the Chiefs blitz in the first quarter was over. He caught two passes for 43 yards on the Bucs’ first touchdown drive in the second quarter. This fantastic route saw him get open for a 30-yard gain before catching the touchdown pass moments later.

https://gfycat.com/barrenfreshibizanhound

 

Evans dominated across the formation throughout the night and he saw plenty of targets after the Bucs essentially abandoned the run game. Chris Godwin also returned to the lineup after injuries have interrupted the start to his season. Coming off a torn ACL, Godwin mainly ran short to intermediate routes and only saw one target deeper down field. This is concerning as his ability to make those plays makes him the fantasy star he is. Godwin also stayed down on the field after a play in the second half. He returned to the field in the final quarter and made a few plays. However, it was not the nice fantasy managers wanted. His most meaningful grab was a completion over the middle late in the game to set up the Fournette touchdown.

https://gfycat.com/cautiousembarrassedcarpenterant

 

Cameron Brate had a touchdown taken away after an excellent defensive play from Chiefs second-round rookie Bryan Cook, who managed to force the ball out of Brate’s hands at the back of the end zone after he tried to complete a catch from Brady towards half time. The tight end was targeted a whopping eight times, his best number on the season, but only could haul in four of them. When is Gronk coming back??

Julio Jones and Russell Gage both saw their roles limited to scraps despite Brady hurling the ball 52 times. It’s hard to see either of these being fantasy relevant unless Evans or Godwin miss time. Even as a FLEX option, it is a hard sell.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Dolphins @ Bengals
Vikings @ Saints
Browns @ Falcons
Bills @ Ravens
Commanders @ Cowboys
Seahawks @ Lions
Chargers @ Texans
Titans @ Colts
Bears @ Giants
Jaguars @ Eagles
Jets @ Steelers
Cardinals @ Panthers
Patriots @ Packers
Broncos @ Raiders
Chiefs @ Buccaneers
Rams @ 49ers

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