Ravens vs. Chiefs lives up to the hype as Lamar Jackson outduels Patrick Mahomes
Sunday night's marquee matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens delivered the goods.
In a bout between the two youngest MVP-winning quarterbacks in NFL history — Patrick Mahomes in 2018, Lamar Jackson in 2019 — it was the Ravens' signal-caller who finally got the better of his rival in a 36-35 thriller on the big stage.
Coming into the game, Jackson had referred to Mahomes and the Chiefs as Baltimore's kryptonite, given his 0-3 record against the fellow AFC giants.
Down 11 points heading into the fourth quarter, it looked as though that bleak run might continue. But then Jackson capped off a five-play drive that began late in the third with a touchdown run to start the game's final 12 minutes.
After forcing Kansas City to punt, Baltimore mounted a 14-play, 63-yard drive that took 8:02 off the clock to take a 36-35 lead, punctuated by Jackson's somersaulting his way into the end zone.
With more than three minutes left in the game, Mahomes & Co. had ample time to flip the score in their favor, and they looked well on their way to doing so.
Mahomes completed three consecutive passes for 23, 13 and 7 yards, respectively, to drive the Chiefs down to Baltimore's 32-yard line. Then, on second-and-3, Mahomes handed the ball off to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and in came Ravens rookie Odafe Oweh with a game-changing forced fumble and recovery.
The drama continued from there.
Faced with a fourth-and-1 from their own 43 with 1:05 left, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh made the decision to try to keep the ball out of Mahomes' hands entirely.
After briefly consulting with his QB, Harbaugh called upon Jackson to pick up the first down — and the win — in front of a raucous Baltimore crowd.
Jackson did, taking the snap two yards up the middle to the left of his center for the first down.
Ball game.
After the dust settled on this epic matchup between AFC heavyweights, Nick Wright of "First Things First" — who predicted the Chiefs would go 20-0 this season — lamented the loss for Kansas City.
"I'm in emotional pain because of what was lost last night," Wright said Monday. "Not the game. I can deal with that. The 20-0 — gone. Kryptonite — gone. The unbeaten streak against all the young AFC quarterbacks for Mahomes — gone. … They had no business losing. … The Chiefs are going to be fine. … But you know what would have been better? Winning the game."
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Watch as Nick Wright shares his reaction to the Kansas City Chiefs' loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Having a more stalwart defense could have helped the Chiefs in that department.
The Ravens won the rushing battle by a big margin, outgaining the Chiefs 251 to 62 in terms of yards gained on the ground, and Baltimore carried the rock 23 more times than the visitors.
That success on the ground, spearheaded by Jackson, helped the Ravens control the clock and keep the ball away from Kansas City's high-flying offense. At the final whistle, the Ravens had nearly 12 more minutes of possession than the Chiefs.
While the loss stings, Chris Broussard said it could serve as a wake-up call for Kansas City's leaky defense, which the "First Things First" host likened to the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.
"Now they're seeing there's not that huge of a gap between [the Chiefs] and the other elite teams in this league," Broussard said. "So [the Chiefs] have got to fix the defensive side of the ball.
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As for the Ravens, Jackson was the toast of the town Monday morning.
Despite throwing a pair of interceptions on two of Baltimore's first three drives, Jackson kept his head up and willed his team to a win, with 239 passing yards, a game-high 107 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
And although it's not an official metric, Jackson led the game in highlight-reel plays.
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Shannon Sharpe rained praise upon Jackson on Monday's episode of "Undisputed," crediting the QB for finding a superstar rhythm after the shaky start.
"You need your best player to be your best player, and that's what [Jackson] was last night," Sharpe said. "… After he threw his second interception, he was 15-of-19 for 215 [yards], a touchdown, 87 rush yards [and] two touchdowns. … They couldn't stop him. … He was sensational."
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Shannon Sharpe reacts to Baltimore's comeback win and explains why he believes "this was as consistent as Jackson has ever been."
As Skip Bayless put it, Jackson's overcoming the rough start, especially against Mahomes, was nothing short of stunning.
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In the short term, Sunday's outcome was just one of 17 regular-season contests, and the two teams sit even at 1-1 after two weeks.
However, if the Ravens and Chiefs continue on the trajectory most expect for them, they could be destined for a postseason rematch in a few months.
If Sunday's blockbuster was any indication, that rematch — perhaps in the AFC Championship — will be another hot-ticket item.
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