Rob Carr/Getty Images Ben Niemann #56 and Taco Charlton #94 of the Kansas City Chiefs tackle Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on September 28, 2020.
On Monday night the Baltimore Ravens were throttled in a 34-20 home loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, a game that was more lopsided than the score might indicate.
In the process the Chiefs put an end to the Ravens’ 14-game regular season winning streak. It was also the first time in 14 contests that the Ravens allowed more than 21 points, with the Chiefs scoring 27 points before halftime, this in spite of the fact that Kansas City placekicker Harrison Butker missed a field goal and an extra point in the first half.
Patrick Mahomes Produces 5 Touchdowns
Kansas City did most of its damage through the air, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes completing 31 of 42 passes for 385 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Mahomes also carried the ball four times for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Mahomes utilized all of his potential targets, not just wide receiver Mecole Hardman (four receptions, 81 yards, 1 touchdown), wide receiver Tyreek Hill (five receptions, 77 yards, 1 touchdown) and tight end Travis Kelce, who had six receptions for 87 yards. Even offensive tackle Eric Fisher got into the act, catching a two-yard touchdown pass, then celebrating with his overjoyed linemates.
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All in all, the Chiefs produced 517 yards in total offense. In the process, Mahomes became the fastest to 10,000 yards of any quarterback in NFL history, doing it in just his 34th game. This as compared to Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who reached that milestone in 36 games as a member of the St. Louis Rams.
Lamar Jackson: A Career Low in Passing Yards
On the other side of the ball, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson struggled to get anything going through the air, completing just 15 of 28 passes for a career low 97 passing yards. Jackson got almost as much accomplished on the ground, carrying the ball nine times for 83 yards, an average of 9.2 yards per carry.
The game will no doubt embolden Jackson’s critics, who will highlight how Jackson is 0-5 when trailing by 10 points in a game and 0-5 when the Ravens trail at halftime. Never mind Jackson’s success last season on Monday Night Football, when he tossed five touchdown passes against the Los Angeles Rams.
On Monday night the best play from a Ravens perspective came on special teams, when rookie third-round pick Devin Duvernay (wide receiver, Texas) returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.
93 YARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The Ravens produced just 255 total yards on offense.
Around the AFC North
With the victory the Chiefs moved to 3-0, while the Ravens fell to 2-1, moving into a tie for second in the AFC North with the Cleveland Browns. The Pittsburgh Steelers are now alone in first place with a 3-0 record, while the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-2-1 following this weekend’s tie against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Ravens will attempt to get back on the winning track on Sunday at Washington while the Chiefs host the New England Patriots. The Steelers will travel to Nashville to take on the undefeated Tennessee Titans, while the Cleveland Browns visit the Dallas Cowboys. The Cincinnati Bengals host the Jacksonville Jaguars before traveling to Baltimore the following weekend.