Buccaneers Beat Chiefs 16-15 as Harrison Butker Boots 69-Yard Field Goal Before Late Misses

On Saturday, August 22, 2026, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers edged the Kansas City Chiefs 16-15 at Raymond James Stadium in NFL Preseason Week 2 — a one-point home win that improved Tampa Bay to 2-0 in exhibition play while extending Kansas City’s long preseason skid. The night belonged to kicker Harrison Butker until it didn’t: he drilled a 69-yard field goal to close the first half, then missed an extra point and a 43-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have put the Chiefs ahead. Rookie running back Emmett Johnson scored his first preseason touchdown for Kansas City, but Sean Tucker’s late rushing score and Roman Parodie’s fourth-quarter interception swung the margin to Tampa Bay.

Kickoff was 7:30 p.m. ET. The Buccaneers’ only home preseason game drew a Super Bowl LV rematch crowd to the same stadium where Tampa Bay beat Kansas City 31-9 in February 2021. Patrick Mahomes again sat out exhibition action for the Chiefs, who have not won a preseason game since 2023.

Editor’s note: This article draws on game data and reporting from NFL.com, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.com, Kansas City Chiefs.com, the Kansas City Star, Arrowhead Pride, and Yahoo Sports, August 22–23, 2026. Field-goal distances and scoring sequences are based on official game accounts and team recaps.

Game at a glance

Detail	Information
Date	Saturday, August 22, 2026
Venue	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Week	NFL Preseason Week 2
Kickoff	7:30 p.m. ET
Final score	Buccaneers 16, Chiefs 15
Records	Bucs 2-0; Chiefs 0-2 in exhibition play
Local TV	WFLA (Jon Gruden, Rondé Barber)

How the scoring unfolded

Kansas City controlled the first half on the scoreboard even as Tampa Bay’s starters held the line on defense. The Chiefs forced two three-and-outs on their opening possessions, then became the first team to cross midfield when Justin Fields moved the offense into the red zone. Anthony Nelson and Mohamed Kamara combined for a 20-yard sack on third down, pushing Kansas City back to a 45-yard Harrison Butker field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Butker added field goals from 58 and 45 yards before halftime, sending the Chiefs to the break ahead 9-0 while Tampa Bay’s first-team offense went scoreless through Baker Mayfield’s two drives and Jake Browning’s first preseason snaps.

The Buccaneers flipped the script after halftime. Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels directed three scoring drives — all in the second half — finishing 9-of-14 for 71 yards with a touchdown pass and 19 rushing yards. His five-for-five march in the third quarter ended with a touchdown throw to tight end Ko Kieft, cutting the deficit to 9-7.

Kansas City answered when a pass-interference penalty pushed the Chiefs into the red zone and Emmett Johnson punched in from one yard for his first preseason touchdown. Butker’s extra point made it 15-7, but his night soon turned.

A Tampa Bay field goal early in the fourth quarter trimmed the gap to 15-10. On the next Chiefs possession, cornerback Roman Parodie intercepted a bobbled pass from Chris Oladokun and set up Sean Tucker’s one-yard rushing touchdown — Tampa Bay’s first lead at 16-15.

Kansas City had one more chance. Butker, who had been perfect on three field goals including the 69-yard bomb, pushed a 43-yard attempt wide right with roughly four minutes remaining. The Buccaneers defense held on the final drive, and Tampa Bay salted away the last three minutes for the win.

Phase	Key scoring / turning points
1st half	Butker FGs from 45, 58, and 69 yards; Chiefs 9-0
3rd quarter	Kieft TD pass from Daniels (9-7); Johnson 1-yd rush TD (15-7)
4th quarter	Bucs FG (15-10); Parodie INT → Tucker 1-yd TD (16-15); Butker misses 43-yd FG

Harrison Butker’s 69-yard field goal — and the misses that mattered

Butker’s halftime kick became the viral highlight of the night. He connected from 69 yards with room to spare — distance that, in the regular season, would surpass the NFL record of 68 yards held by Jacksonville’s Cam Little. Because the attempt came in the preseason, it does not count in the official record book, but it capped a remarkable first-half line for a kicker who struggled in 2025.

Butker also made kicks from 58 and 45 yards before intermission, continuing a preseason rebound after he went 4-for-4 on field goals — including one from 59 yards — against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. Through two exhibition games in 2026, he had been perfect on field goals until the fourth quarter in Tampa.

The back end of his night flipped the result. A holding penalty pushed an extra-point try back to 42 yards, and Butker doinked the kick off the upright. His miss from 43 yards with the Chiefs trailing 16-15 left Tampa Bay in front for good. Kansas City Star reporting framed the game as Butker dazzling, then doinking — three field goals and a missed extra point as the difference on the scoreboard.

Buccaneers: Daniels, Tucker, and a defense that closed

Baker Mayfield opened the game and completed 2-of-4 for 10 yards across two drives. Bucky Irving added 14 rushing yards on three carries in his limited action. Browning took over and went 9-of-12 for 84 yards while picking up 14 yards on the ground, but the first-team offense did not score before halftime.

Daniels became the story after the break. His touchdown to Kieft opened Tampa Bay’s scoring, and his poise on a drive that included a 24-yard toe-tap catch by Dean Patterson IV showed why the undrafted rookie has drawn attention through camp. Patterson and Kam Johnson each finished with 56 receiving yards to lead the Buccaneers.

On defense, Nelson totaled 1.5 sacks, including a strip sack on Fields late in the first quarter. Kamara stood out along the line, and Parodie’s fourth-quarter interception was the play of the game — a takeaway that directly produced Tucker’s go-ahead score.

Tampa Bay improved to 2-0 in the preseason and will visit Jacksonville on Friday, August 28, for Week 3.

Chiefs: Fields, Johnson, and another preseason loss

Kansas City rested Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice, and Xavier Worthy, leaning on backup quarterbacks and young skill players for evaluation reps. Fields finished 9-of-12 for 64 yards without a touchdown or interception in his action, while Garrett Nussmeier went 9-of-17 for 74 yards. Wide receiver Jalen Royals led the Chiefs with six catches for 51 yards.

Johnson’s one-yard touchdown was the offensive highlight — the rookie’s first preseason score and a bright spot in a night otherwise defined by special teams. He finished with seven carries for 25 yards and the touchdown, plus one reception for 10 yards.

The loss dropped Kansas City to 0-2 in exhibition play and extended a preseason winless run that dates to 2023. For a franchise that treats August scores as disposable, the result still stung in the margins: a kicker’s heroics and a rookie’s first touchdown were not enough to overcome two late Butker misses and Parodie’s interception.

Context and what comes next

Preseason outcomes rarely forecast September, but Saturday night offered both teams useful tape before roster cuts.

For Tampa Bay, a 2-0 start and a home crowd that saw starters on both sides of the ball reinforced optimism around a deep roster returning to Raymond James. Daniels’ second-half command, Patterson’s highlight catch, and a defense that generated pressure without Mahomes on the field were positives. The Buccaneers have won five of six all-time preseason meetings against Kansas City.

For the Chiefs, Butker’s 69-yard kick answered questions about whether he had regained his form after a difficult 2025 season. The missed extra point and late field goal, however, reopened the conversation about reliability in close games — even if Mahomes was not on the field. Johnson’s touchdown added a developmental bright spot behind an established offense that will look vastly different when the regular season opens.

Neither team treats August losses as predictive, but Tampa Bay left with momentum and a one-point win in a Super Bowl rematch setting. Kansas City left with highlight-reel leg strength from Butker and a reminder that special teams swings still decide tight games — preseason or not.

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Discussion

Saturday in Tampa was a kicker’s highlight reel and a one-point margin — with Mahomes watching from the sideline.

1. Butker made three field goals from 45, 58, and 69 yards, then missed an extra point and a 43-yarder that would have put Kansas City ahead. Does his preseason resurgence matter if the misses came in a game Kansas City cared enough about to play Fields and rest Mahomes?

The 69-yard kick would have been an NFL regular-season record; the late misses were the actual result.

2. Daniels directed three second-half scoring drives and Tucker scored the go-ahead touchdown after Parodie’s interception. With Mayfield entrenched, how much should Bucs fans read into a rookie quarterback’s preseason half against Chiefs backups?

Share whether Butker’s long kick or Tampa Bay’s late defensive play told you more about either team’s 2026 outlook.

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