KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs rolled into Arrowhead Stadium to play the red-hot Baltimore Ravens without their best wide receiver, their lead running back and their stalwart left tackle.
They still had Patrick Mahomes, though.
The reigning league MVP threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in another record-setting performance, and Kansas City’s defense corralled Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson most of the rain-soaked afternoon, allowing the Chiefs to squeak out a 33-28 victory Sunday.
“Everyone gets reps with the starters, and guys just build that confidence that they can play,” said Mahomes, whose 13 games of at least 300 yards passing broke Kurt Warner’s mark for the most in the first 20 games of a career. “Whenever someone gets an opportunity they make plays.”
Such as wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman, who had TD catches while Tyreek Hill recovers from a broken collarbone. Or LeSean McCoy and Darrell Williams, who combined for 116 yards rushing and a score in place of injured running back Damien Williams. Or Cam Erving, who filled in for left tackle Eric Fisher and helped to limit the Ravens to a single sack.
“I trust that guys are going to step up and play,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose 210th win broke a tie with Chuck Noll for sixth-most in NFL history. “Each one of them collectively had a pretty good day. They took advantage of their opportunity.”
Missed opportunities ultimately doomed the Ravens. They were stuffed once on fourth down, and three times they failed to convert on a 2-point conversion, leaving them chasing points all game.
The last came after Jackson scrambled for a touchdown with 2:01 to go. The conversion would have gotten the Ravens (2-1) within a field goal, but Jackson was shoved out of bounds short of the pylon.
Baltimore tried to get the ball back with a rare dropkick, but the Chiefs (3-0) calmly called for a fair catch. Then they converted on third down moments later to run out the clock.
“I don’t remember the situation or which was what, but every one of those was clear analytical decisions to go for two,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We had a mindset that we were going to come in and try to score as many points as we could. So, that’s what we tried to do.”
Mark Ingram was the Ravens’ biggest bright spot, running for 103 yards and a trio of touchdowns while catching four passes for 32 yards. Jackson finished with 267 yards passing and 46 rushing, most of that when he was trying to rally the Ravens from a big halftime hole.
The Ravens actually scored first on Ingram’s touchdown plunge, then they took points off the board when a penalty gave them a shorter try at the conversion. Jackson was stuffed at the goal line in what would become a recurring theme for Baltimore all afternoon.
The Chiefs then proceeded to score four times in the second quarter for the second consecutive week, this time getting three touchdowns and Harrison Butker’s 42-yard field goal to take a 23-6 lead.
They scored four TDs in the second quarter last week in Oakland.
McCoy, hobbled by a sore ankle all week, gave Kansas City the lead with a TD run early in the second quarter. Then, after the Ravens’ turnover on downs, Mahomes lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone that Robinson caught with an incredible one-handed stab .
That highlight was joined by another on the Chiefs’ next possession, when the Ravens blew the coverage and Hardman was open downfield. The rookie hauled in the heave from Mahomes, then used his 4.3-second 40-yard-dash speed to sprint 83 yards to the end zone.
Ingram sandwiched two more touchdown runs around Mahomes’ third touchdown toss in the second half, and the second one got Baltimore within 30-19 with 12:22 to go. But the Ravens again tried for the 2-point conversion and again came up empty, leaving them in an 11-point hole.
That could have loomed large when Justin Tucker added a field goal.
Instead, Williams ripped off a 41-yard run, the Chiefs picked up a couple more first downs, and Butker hit a 36-yard field goal that made it a two-possession game and ultimately out of reach.
“We wanted to be aggressive,” Ingram said. “Coming here to a hostile environment, one of the better teams in the league, everyone says, and we went toe-to-toe with them. We got aggressive and we’ve got make sure we execute so we have our coaches’ back for believing in us. I love the aggressive mindset, coming in here aggressive offensively and defensively. Just got to make those plays.”
STATS AND STREAKS
The Ravens’ defense, which was second in the NFL after the first two weeks, surrendered 503 yards of total offense. … Baltimore lost for the second time in 10 games with Jackson as the starter. … The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce had a game-high seven catches for 89 yards. … The Chiefs have scored 26 or more points in an NFL record 24 straight regular-season games.
INJURIES
Ravens: CB Jimmy Smith (knee) and S Brynden Trawick (elbow) were inactive.
Chiefs: McCoy aggravated his sore ankle on his touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. … Hill (collarbone), RB Damien Williams (knee) and LT Eric Fisher (groin) were inactive.
UP NEXT
Baltimore: returns home to face Cleveland next Sunday.
Kansas City: on the road for the third time in four weeks Sunday at Detroit.
Photo credit – Ed Zurga / Associated Press / Kansas City, MO
