Breaking down the good, bad, ugly in Kansas City Chiefs’ 36-35 loss to Baltimore Ravens
The Chiefs let the Ravens hang around and it cost them.
With the Chiefs leading 35-24 in the fourth quarter, the Ravens roared back with 12 straight points and forced Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s first NFL fumble with less than two minutes left. That effectively sealed it.
The final: Ravens 36, Chiefs 35.
The Chiefs had their chances Sunday night, and absorbed some of Baltimore’s best punches. But this team’s flaws also showed up at the worst moments and in the worst ways.
“The guys played hard,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The other group took advantage of the turnovers.”
Sunday’s loss moved the Chiefs to 1-1 this season and snapped their previously perfect 11-0 September record since quarterback Patrick Mahomes became a starter in 2018.
Here’s what stood out.
CHIEFS GASHED
Once is a fluke, twice or more is a habit.
The Chiefs surrendered 153 yards rushing in their season opener, but their encore against the Ravens proved worse.
Baltimore gashed the Chiefs with 251 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 41 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt on the ground. Jackson led the Ravens’ attack with 107 yards in 16 carries.
Reid pointed out the inability to tackle as one of the largest causes of the defensive meltdown against the run.
“It’s a team effort, so when you have opportunities to tackle, you’ve got to tackle, and I don’t think we did very well in that — the first half, in particular,” he said. “We gave up a lot of yards there. You got guys in position, you got to make the tackle, you got to make the play.”
Defensive end Frank Clark agreed.
“This game, they took it,” he said. “They came in, beat us in the rushing attack. We missed tackles.”
The Chiefs struggling against the run is nothing new, but fresh alarms should be sounding. They knew what was coming and couldn’t stop it.
“This is assignment football,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “It doesn’t matter what defense you play on, it all comes down to assignment and from there it’s execution.”
TURNOVERS DOOM EFFORT
The Chiefs had two mistakes that helped contribute to their fall against the Ravens: Mahomes’ interception and Edwards-Helaire game-turning fumble.
Mahomes’ pick came late in the third quarter and with the Chiefs up 35-24. While it appeared innocent at the time, Baltimore capitalized on the ensuing possession with a Jackson 2-yard touchdown run. The 2-point conversion attempt failed, but Baltimore closed the gap to a 35-30 score.
Edwards-Helaire’s lost fumble came as the Chiefs were driving for a potential go-ahead score.
“Turnovers kill you in this league, and we had two of them down the stretch, crucial time,” Reid said. “So we’ve got to do better. We learn from that.”
Mahomes appeared to agree.
“We were executing, they made a play and you lose games when teams make plays like that at the end of games,” the Chiefs signal-caller said.
WELCOME BACK
If there’s any doubt about what Mathieu means to the Chiefs’ defense, look no further than the first two games of this season.
With Mathieu inactive in the season opener, the Chiefs’ defense struggled across the board, missing its clear leader. Mathieu asserted himself right away Sunday night by picking off Jackson twice, including his pick-six, in the first half.
Mathieu was all over the field. He finished the game with six tackles, two interceptions and two passes defensed.
“He did a nice job with the interception part,” Reid said. “It was good to have him back in there.”
The Chiefs have yet to give Mathieu a contract extension in the final year of his current deal. But the safety continues to show he has earned every penny of a pay raise.
KELCE IS KELCE
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce figured to be in for a big game against a Ravens defense that had allowed a 100-yard effort by Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller the previous week.
And Kelce didn’t disappoint.
The All-Pro rumbled for 109 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. His most impressive play came on a 46-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Mahomes found his favorite target for a short completion on the right side of the field. Kelce was surrounded by at least three Ravens defenders, but he worked himself free across the field, picked up a wall of blockers down the left sideline and broke tackles into the end zone for the score.
Kelce extended his streak of games with a catch to 113, the second-longest in franchise history and third-longest active streak in the NFL.
OTHERS STEP UP
After a week of chatter about Mecole Hardman disappearing in the Chiefs’ season opener (he had just three catches for 19 yards on three targets vs. Cleveland), the third-year wideout made sure he was noticed Sunday night.
With five catches for 55 yards on eight targets, Hardman led the charge of supporting-role Chiefs players who contributed to the offense.
Byron Pringle chipped in with two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, while Demarcus Robinson had a nice 33-yard touchdown catch in the first half on a throw Mahomes did well to complete.
“It was kind of take what you get,” Reid explained about wide receivers not named Tyreek Hill chipping in.
Hill was limited to three catches for 14 yards on four targets.
INJURIES
There were no injuries of note for the Chiefs Sunday night.
“There’s really nothing to report,” Reid said. “A couple of guys got nicked up, but not bad. We’ll see how everybody is (Monday).”
INACTIVES
Cornerback Deandre Baker, guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, center Austin Blythe, rookie defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and wide receiver Darius Fountain were not dressed for the game.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs return home to host the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 3.
This story was originally published September 19, 2021 at 10:47 PM.
