Posted on September 22, 2019, by Travis Pulver
Lamar Jackson has been generating some MVP buzz season. But on Sunday, he had a chance to legitimize his candidacy with a good showing against the reigning MVP, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, there is a reason why Mahomes is the reigning MVP and one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season.
A point Mahomes made clear with another stellar performance.
Baltimore got on the board first with a 14-play, 84-yard touchdown drive on their first possession of the game. But then Mahomes and the Chiefs took over.
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The Chiefs responded to the Ravens score with touchdowns on each of their next three drives, including an 83-yard catch and run by rookie Mecole Hardman, to take a 20-6 lead.
The Chiefs tacked on a field goal before the end of the half to make the score 23-6, at the break.
The Ravens threatened to get into the game with a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half. Kansas City answered before the end of the third quarter when Mahomes connected with LeSean McCoy on a 14-yard touchdown to make the score 30-13.
Mahomes and Kansas City appeared to be in control of the game. Defensively, the Chiefs were doing enough to frustrate Lamar Jackson and keep him from getting the Ravens offense on track. That is, until Jackson and the Ravens offense finally did get on track in the fourth quarter.
Baltimore followed the Chiefs touchdown drive with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with Mark Ingram scoring his third touchdown of the day. The defense stepped up on the next Chiefs drive forcing a punt after giving up a single first down.
Jackson quickly got the team back into the red zone on the next drive, but a sack on third down forced them to kick a field goal. However, with the gap now down to eight, 30-22, they were just a touchdown and two-point conversion from tying the game up.
But the Chiefs managed to get a little breathing room on the next drive with a 36-yard field goal by Harrison Butker. His kick gave the Chiefs an 11-point advantage with 4:36 to play. That could be enough time with how well the offense and defense had played in the fourth quarter—and it almost worked.
A nine-yard scramble by Jackson capped off a nine-play, 70-yard drive and got the Ravens within five, 33-28. The two-point conversion failed, and the Chiefs were able to run out the clock and secure the win.
For Mahomes, it was another MVP-type performance with 374-yards and three touchdowns. As for Jackson, he struggled for much of the game before coming alive in the fourth quarter. He ended the game 22-43 for 267 yards and added another 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The Ravens will face the Cleveland Browns next week, their first game against a division opponent this year. Kansas City will look to remain undefeated when they travel to Detroit to face the Lions.