The Kansas City Chiefs came off their first victory of the season against the Giants 22-9, looking to get their first home win of the year against a tough Baltimore Ravens team. Despite many doubters, Kansas City came in and dominated the AFC juggernaut, winning 37-20.

The Chiefs beat the Ravens through the air and on the ground, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 270 and four touchdowns while the team totaled 118 rushing yards. The defense also locked up the Ravens’ stacked offense, as the starters allowed just 13 points.

1st half

The Chiefs waned early, conceding an opening drive touchdown to Baltimore before responding with just three points. Late in the first, Baltimore was driving again as they sat at the Kansas City 36-yard line before a quick blitz forced Lamar Jackson to throw the ball up to a one-on-one battle where linebacker Leo Chenal was able to one-hand the ball into his gut for an interception.

Kansas City went down into the red zone but only ended up with a field goal yet again, a problem that has plagued the team this season. However, after forcing a three-and-out, the offense finally found its full groove, taking just five plays to get into the endzone.

It didn’t stop there, though, as the defense forced a turnover on downs in Baltimore territory, which was capitalized on by the offense, as Mahomes threw his second touchdown of the day in just the first half.

The Ravens then turned it over as the first half ticked down, but the offense was finally stopped to set up a 56-yard field goal for kicker Harrison Butker, which he missed. It was his third missed field goal of the year after missing just four total all of last year. The Ravens were able to use the good field position that resulted from the miss as a way to get a little closer before the half with a field goal, making it 20-10 at the break.

2nd half

The second half didn’t see the Chiefs take their foot off the pedal, a concern that many in the stands may have had coming out of halftime, considering head coach Andy Reid’s history of doing so.

The Chiefs scored on their first three drives as Mahomes reached four touchdowns for the first time in over 700 days. Mahomes made sure to spread the ball out, as four different receivers ended up catching a touchdown.

The offense wasn’t the only one humming, as the defense also looked like a well-oiled machine all day, containing quarterback Lamar Jackson in the pocket and blanketing receivers down the field. Because of the lockdown coverage, you might expect that Baltimore would try to run the ball with their star running back, Derrick Henry.

Henry did end up averaging over five yards per carry, but peculiarly enough, he only had eight carries on the day, the least amount of carries for any Raven that did run the ball.

What worked so well

The Chiefs were able to move the ball largely because of two things that they have not been able to utilize in a while, that being the run and deep ball threats. Running back Isaiah Pacheco finally seemed to hit his stride for the first time this season, averaging five yards per carry, while wide receiver Xavier Worthy utilized his speed on the outside to perfection. He got the ball on a jet sweep two times and made good of both carries, going for a total of 38 yards.

Worthy was also important in the pass game, specifically as a deep threat, as Mahomes was able to connect downfield with Worthy on numerous occasions. While the two did not link up on every deep ball lob, the threat was there, which, in turn, opened up lots more routes underneath.

Because of the mere threat of these two facets of moving the ball, Mahomes was able to efficiently work the offense down the field on nearly every drive, with the starters never being forced to punt all game.

Stats

Mahomes ended the game going 25/37 for 270 yards with four touchdowns. Running back Kareem Hunt helped Pacheco and Worthy with 34 yards on the ground to get the rushing game over the century mark at 118.

The receiving game, despite still being down its number one target in Rashee Rice, who is still out until week seven with a suspension, had a huge impact on the game. Not only did four separate receivers have a touchdown, but four separate receivers also had 36 or more receiving yards on the day.

Other than Worthy, tight end Travis Kelce finally seemed to break through a bit after a rough start to the season, racking up five receptions for 48 yards. Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was held to just one reception for 11 yards in the cluster of big performances, but was still able to keep a streak of three straight games with a touchdown alive.

On the defensive side, it was just as dominant, as they lived in the back field due to defensive coordinator John Spagnola’s frequent use of the coverage 0 blitz. This constant pressure resulted in eight quarterback hits, three sacks on an elusive Jackson, and two turnovers.

Outlook on the team

This could be a great momentum builder for a team that struggled out of the gate, as the Chiefs have mounted two straight victories after dropping two straight to begin the season. It was truly a great display on both sides of the ball that offered lots to be excited about if you’re one of the Kansas City faithful.

The game truly showcased both the importance of the threat of the run game and deep ball, as well as the potential effectiveness of Spagnola’s coverage 0 blitz. The Chiefs will look to enact these strategies once again when they match up with the Jacksonville Jaguars next Monday night.