The Kansas City Chiefs earned their 11th win of the year in a hard fought game over the Baltimore Ravens.
The Kansas City Chiefs returned home to the loudest fan base in the NFL to host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Despite the cold weather, the fans made their impact felt as expected in a close overtime win for the home team.
The game pitted one of the NFL’s best defenses against one of the league’s best offenses. Fortunately for fans, it lived up to the billing of an exciting, back-and-forth game through all four quarters and then some.
The scoring got started when the Chiefs had a 10 play, 75-yard drive with three minutes left in the first quarter. That drive ended with Damien Williams rushing in from a yard out to put Kansas City up 7-0.
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The Ravens answered right back at the start of the second quarter. They went on an eight-play 75-yard drive that saw the Ravens stable of rushing options shred the Chiefs defense that ended with Kenneth Dixons three-yard touchdown run. Justin Tucker gave the Ravens their first lead of the game when he nailed a 28-yard field goal to cap off a ten play 49-yard drive that lasted over four minutes.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes answered with a pass right on the money to the back of the end zone to Travis Kelce for a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs a 14-10 lead with 2:37 remaining in the half. A Harrison Butker 24-yard field goal just before the break made it 17-10.
Out of halftime, the Ravens went on a long 14 play drive that lasted over seven minutes. Maxx Williams caught a ten-yard pass from rookie QB Lamar Jackson to even the game at 17 with 3 minutes remaining in the third.
The two teams went back and forth through the rest of the third quarter without either side breaking the tie. It turned into a true defensive battle with the high powered Chiefs offense being held in check for the first time all year. Finally the stalemate ended when Jackson found Jon Brown on third down from nine yards out on a great play action pass with four minutes remaining in the game.
With their undefeated record at home on the year at stake, the Chiefs offense took over with four minutes left and still searching for their first score of the second half. The Ravens defense stood up and forced a fourth and short play with a minute and a half remaining. Andy Reid elected to go for it down 7 with all three timeouts in his back pocket. After lining up on fourth and four, the Chiefs were flagged for an offsides penalty.
That was when Patrick Mahomes made a play only Patrick Mahomes can make. Rolling out with pressure beating down on him, Mahomes launched a bomb downfield to Tyreek Hill for a first down inside the red zone.
WOAH 🤯🤯🤯 https://t.co/aYdUdC0hmb
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 9, 2018
After the shine of that wonderful play wore off, the Chiefs were in the same position they were a few plays prior: 4th and 3 with less than a minute left from the 5-yard line. Mahomes dropped back and found Damien Williams for his second touchdown of the afternoon to tie the game up at 24.
On the ensuing drive for the Ravens, Justin Houston stormed into the backfield and hammered down on Lamar Jackson and stripped the ball away. The Chiefs recovered just outside the 20-yard line with half a minute remaining in the tied game, well within field goal range.
Butker lined up for what would be the game-winning kick from 43-yards out but missed his second field goal of the game for the first time in his career. For the first time this season, and in Patrick Mahomes’ career, the Chiefs rolled into over time. Kansas City won the toss and started with the football.
On the first drive of overtime, the Chiefs marched down the field and got into the red zone. On a drop back, Mahomes dropped the ball while rolling around in the backfield which only resulted in a loss of 13 and not possession. On third down and 15, the offensive line gave Mahomes all day, but no one got open for him setting up a 35-yard Harrison Butker field goal.
The Ravens took over with four minutes to answer. On 3rd and 22 with a minute and 40 seconds left, Robert Griffin the Third came into the game for the injured Lamar Jackson. RGIII almost threw a pick on the third down play, setting up fourth and long. That pass fell incomplete and the Chiefs won the football game.
Up next for the Chiefs, they host the L.A. Chargers for an epic primetime Thursday Night Football matchup on a very short week of rest. Arrowhead will be rocking as always, but even more so under the bright lights of primetime. For the Ravens, they play host to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they hope to regain their momentum toward a postseason spot.