Lamar Jackson, Ravens Edge Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs After Clyde Edwards-Helaire Fumble

An instant classic played out between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday evening from M&T Bank Stadium.

In the end, quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens edged signal-caller Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs 36-35 on a night that featured offensive fireworks and big defensive plays.

The Chiefs appeared to be in position for a game-winning field goal when they faced a 2nd-and-3 from the Ravens' 32-yard line with 1:25 remaining.

However, Ravens defensive end Odafe Oweh forced a Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire fumble and recovered it himself.

Kansas City still had all three timeouts with 1:20 on the clock. A pair of Jackson runs gained three yards, and a Sammy Watkins catch added six.

Facing a 4th-and-1 from their own 43-yard line, the Ravens decided to put the ball in Jackson's hands. He got the job done with a two-yard rush to end the game.

The Ravens trailed 35-24 early in the fourth quarter but scored the final 12 points off a pair of Jackson runs. The second one featured Jackson flipping into the end zone for what ended up being the game-winning score.

The Chiefs and Ravens both have 1-1 records after the Sunday Night Football matchup

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Notable Performances

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: 18-of-26, 239 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 16 carries, 107 rushing yards, 2 TD

Ravens RB Ty'Son Williams: 13 carries, 77 rushing yards; 2 catches, 16 receiving yards

Ravens WR Marquise Brown: 6 catches, 113 receiving yards, 1 TD

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: 24-of-31, 343 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: 7 catches, 109 receiving yards, 1 TD

Chiefs WR Byron Pringle: 2 catches, 63 receiving yards, 1 TD

   

Chiefs Can't Get To Jackson, Who Takes Advantage

With 4:22 left in the third quarter, Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen sacked Jackson to force a Ravens punt.

The Chiefs never registered a quarterback hit before that play, and they never did so afterward either.

Kansas City simply could not get to Jackson on Sunday evening, and that helped the former Louisville star get to work.

Through the air, Jackson looked Marquise "Hollywood" Brown's way 10 times, resulting in six catches for 113 yards and one touchdown.

The Ravens attacked the middle of the field, with Jackson finding Brown here for 27 yards early in the third quarter:

The Jackson-Brown connection cemented the touchdown drive after Jackson unleashed an eye-popping jump pass to Brown for six:

Jackson also was a perfect 5-of-5 on targets to tight end Mark Andrews, who ended up with 57 yards.

The 2016 Heisman Trophy Winner also linked with wideout Sammy Watkins at crucial points. He found the ex-Chief for 19 yards late in the third quarter en route to a touchdown drive that cut the Kansas City lead to 35-30.

Watkins' late six-yard fourth-quarter catch also put Baltimore in position to convert a manageable 4th-and-1 to seal the game.

Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu did intercept Jackson twice in the first quarter, including one that went for a score-opening pick-six. The All-Pro safety was simply phenomenal on this day.

The problem was the Chiefs defense as a whole had no answer for the Ravens' passing attack in the final three quarters, nor did they find a solution to stopping Baltimore on the ground.

Baltimore rushed 41 times for 251 yards (6.1 YPC) for three touchdowns. Three different players (Jackson, Williams and Devonte Freeman) ripped off gains of 20 or more yards.

It was a remarkable accomplishment for a team that (a) lost three running backs to season-ending injuries and (b) doesn't have All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley as he works his way back from a broken ankle.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler Alejandro Villanueva was fantastic at left tackle, as was the rest of the offensive line. And the rushing attack of Jackson, Williams, Freeman and Latavius Murray got the job done too.

Sure, the Ravens had some luck along the way, like when Williams' fumble at the Chiefs' two-yard line ended up in the hands of wideout Devin Duvernay, who scored a touchdown:

But Baltimore ran through the Chief defense all night. Murray did so on this five-yard score:

Jackson took an alternate route on his first touchdown run, going around the edge and beating the Chiefs to the pylon:

Overall, it was a remarkable effort from the Ravens, whose offense had a near-perfect final three quarters to outlast one of the best scoring attacks in NFL history.

   

Kansas City Offense Sputters Down Stretch

The Chiefs rolled into Baltimore and scored 35 points on offense through three quarters. Big plays occurred early and often, and all three passing touchdowns occurred on gains of 30 or more yards.

Mahomes found Demarcus Robinson for 33 yards en route to a 13-7 edge:

Credit to Byron Pringle for doing most of the legwork here on his 40-yard touchdown for a 27-17 advantage:

Somehow, the Chiefs outdid themselves with this play featuring Mahomes evading an oncoming Ravens defense and finding Kelce, who used his blocks and move around his opponents for a 46-yard touchdown:

With that, the Chiefs had 35 points with 21 minutes and 50 seconds left in the game.

They would not score again.

Kansas City's final three drives resulted in an interception, a punt and a fumble.

The first drive was capped by a pick that Mahomes said was "probably one of the worst interceptions I've had," per Nate Taylor of The Athletic.

Mahomes tried to work his magic and make something out of nothing on a 3rd-and-12, but that did not happen.

The second drive featured Kansas City going just 13 yards in five plays. Seth Keysor of The Athletic noted how the Chiefs let some potentially game-sealing opportunities slip away:

The Ravens responded with touchdowns on both of those drives, but Kansas City still had a chance when it got the ball back with 3:14 left on its own 25-yard line. Three Mahomes passes led to 43 yards, setting up a 2nd-and-3 from the Baltimore 32-yard line.

At that point, Edwards-Helaire coughed up the ball for the first time in his career, per Dani Welniak of KCTV5 News.

Perhaps the Chiefs should have kept their foot on the gas and kept the ball in Mahomes' hands to potentially set up a chip-shot field goal. The decision to run could be questioned in the coming days, especially considering that the Chiefs' rushing attack had little success on the night (18 carries, 62 yards).

However, that doesn't change the fact that the Chiefs allowed 481 yards of offense, including 251 on the ground. Nor does it change the fact that Kansas City went just 11 yards on eight plays in its previous two drives.

Ultimately, this was a lost opportunity for Kansas City, which largely played excellent football for three quarters before the Ravens ran them over.

             

What's Next?

Both teams play Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Kansas City will return home to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Arrowhead Stadium. Baltimore will travel to Detroit to play the Lions at Ford Field.