Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 16-15 Loss to the Buccaneers

Coming off a one-score loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs hit the road looking to secure their first preseason win since 2023. Unfortunately for them, that elusive victory couldn't be captured against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In a game Kansas City initially led, special teams mistakes and some late-game stalling on both sides led to a narrow 16-15 defeat at Raymond James Stadium. The Chiefs now drop to 0-2 this August, but the outing left plenty to digest with next Friday's finale versus the Seattle Seahawks on the horizon.

With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Saturday's game.

Maybe life without Ashton Gillotte isn't a doomsday scenario?

The Chiefs got a bad break this week when head coach Andy Reid revealed that defensive end Ashton Gillotte suffered a ruptured plantar fascia. The foot injury is will hold the second-year pass rusher out for the remainder of the preseason, also potentially putting his Week 1 availability in question. Even if he's deemed healthy enough to play early in the regular season, should it render him less effective than normal, KC may need to pivot quickly.

In that event, the club is getting a long look at some potential replacements given that Gilotte missed the preseason opener as well. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, entering a contract year, is finally healthy and delivered a thunderous sack in the first half. Second-round pick R Mason Thomas continues to flash his patented burst and athleticism up front. Losing Gillotte's floor as a run defender would hurt, but perhaps things aren't quite as bad off as they seem.

The early returns on the Emmanuel Ogbah signing are a different story.

Harrison Butker giveth and taketh away

The past few years have been tough for Harrison Butker, who was once a consensus pick for being one of the best kickers in the sport. After an injury-shortened 2022, he was excellent in 2023 but made only 85.7% of his field goals and the same share of his extra points over the course of the ensuing two seasons. He admitted this offseason that he's looking to put this past campaign in the rearview mirror, and he brought the best of both worlds on Saturday.

After going 4-for-4 on field goals and producing Kansas City's only points against the Los Angeles Rams a week ago, Butker was a perfect 3-for-3 in the first half down in Tampa Bay. That included a 45-yard boot and a 58-yard conversion, but the true highlight was an insane 69-yarder heading into the locker room:

69-YARD FIELD GOAL TO END THE HALF 🦵 pic.twitter.com/hMfVCH2A6L
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 23, 2026

Butker came on strong after a rough open to last season, so perhaps he simply carried some of that momentum into 2026. Not all of it, though; he proceeded to doink a point-after try in the second half and also whiffed on a 43-yard field goal effort. The Chiefs will certainly embrace the highs in pressure-packed environments moving forward, but more consistency is still absolutely needed.

He was part of the reason they stuck around in this one while simultaneously contributing to the loss.

A role reversal for two of Kansas City's young wide receiver prospects

Versus the Rams, the Cyrus Allen experience stole the show despite him only having two receptions for 20 yards. He had one missed opportunity that would've been a touchdown with a bit better throw, and the training camp hype surrounding him set him up for serious buzz with a remotely productive outing. On the flip side, Jalen Royals' two receptions for 17 yards got met with mostly silence in Chiefs Kingdom. For the majority of this outing, those roles were reversed.

Allen played deep into the game, which isn't reflective of someone who's being billed by many as a pillar of the 2026 receiving room. He also failed to do much with the ball in his hands and had a low target depth. Royals, contrastly, was already at five catches for 34 yards with two minutes left in half No. 1 and showcased some unexpected wiggle after hauling in the football as the club's leading receiver overall.

This isn't a commentary on which player deserves to be WR4 more, but it was certainly interesting to see how their performances fluctuated.

Is it time to worry about the Chiefs' offensive tackles?

Until Reid gives a legitimate reason to be concerned about 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons' back ailment, it likely isn't worth getting worked up about. Former undrafted free agent Esa Pole not looking like a starting-caliber tackle is nothing surprising, especially with him being brought along on the left side in his second season. Breaking down the other two presumed tackle options on the team, Jaylon Moore and Kahlil Benson, presents a vastly different dilemma.

Moore was already on thin ice for not nipping the right tackle "competition" in the bud and thoroughly outplaying Benson to the point of no return. It didn't help matters that he got worked over by first-round Buccaneers edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., whom many Chiefs fans wanted to be the 2026 NFL Draft pick at ninth overall. Benson fell flat against Bain, too, and committed both a false start and an illegal formation infraction.

It was a night to forget for Moore and Benson, which can't inspire anyone until one of them rebounds.

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