The Kansas City Chiefs had many chances to cave under pressure in their 27-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens but instead they showed true mental toughness.
The Kansas City Chiefs just may have what it takes to win it all this season. The Chiefs had a lot going against them on Sunday and it would have been really easy to crumble under the pressure. Instead, they kept grinding away and ended up squeezing out a 27-24 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. It was an exciting game to watch and what’s more, it was a win that gives you hope that the Chiefs may just be able to pull out similar wins in the playoffs this year.
It’s no secret that the Chiefs organization has been under a lot of public scrutiny ever since TMZ published their video of the Kareem Hunt incident. It’s the kind of thing that can easily put a cloud over a team and derail their season. The Chiefs pulled out a close win last week against the Oakland Raiders where the offense continued to thrive, but this week they faced arguably the best defense in all of the NFL. Their young quarterback faced this challenge not only without the dismissed Hunt, but without wideout Sammy Watkins again as well. Then during the course of the game they were without Tyreek Hill and Spencer Ware at times as well because of injuries.
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That is the type of pressure that should make a team crumble. It’s certainly the kind of pressure that should expose a first year starting quarterback. Instead, Patrick Mahomes rose to the challenge once again. I have, at times in the past, been accused of being a bit of a “homer” when it comes to the Chiefs and their players. However, I don’t think its hyperbole to say that Patrick Mahomes is having a season that legends are made of. The kid is rewriting the record books almost every week and carrying the most potent offense in the NFL on his back.
He never seems rattled.
He never seems scared.
He never hesitates in the big moments.
It’s almost like some football obsessed genetic engineer found a way to combine the best parts of Joe Montana, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers. Seriously, he has the calm under pressure of Montana, the big play gusto of Favre, and the freakish physical tools of Rodgers. If you had made those claims before the season started you would have been laughed right out of town. Nobody can be that special! Except…..Mahomes seems to be. It’s just unreal.
That having been said, this isn’t all about Patrick Mahomes either. He’s not the only one that showed remarkable mental toughness today. The defense was once again struggling against the Ravens devastating rushing attack. It looked like it could be too much for them to overcome but just when things looked their bleakest Justin Houston made a huge play. Houston’s strip and recovery on Lamar Jackson was a game-changing play. Houston hasn’t been his dominant self in a couple of years and has clearly taken a back seat to both Dee Ford and Chris Jones this season, but when all the chips were on the table Houston came through big time.
Arrowhead erupted and it seemed clear that the Chiefs were coming away with the victory. However, after the Chiefs played it a little too safe on offense Harrison Butker pushed his last second field goal attempt wide right and the game was going to overtime. The entire feel of the game changed in an instant. The Chiefs had victory in their hands and let it slip away. The Ravens had new life.
It’s the type of momentum change that sometimes determines a game. The Chiefs got the ball first in overtime now needing to go the length of the field against the best defense in football with a banged up unit, the deflating field goal miss fresh in their mind, and the weight of the game on their shoulders. It just felt like a three and out waiting to happen.
But Patrick Mahomes and the offense had other ideas.
They methodically drove right down the field. It was as calm and efficient of drive as they had all game and it looked like they would take it right on into the endzone and finish things right there. But then on one of Mahomes famous roll outs he just……dropped the ball. There it was rolling around on the grass, Ravens defenders headed right for it, the fate of the game was just sitting on the turf waiting for someone to seize it. That’s when Eric Fisher came through with a play every bit as huge as any Mahomes throw or defensive play as he fell on a ball that looked like it was destined to be a game changing turnover.
Fisher’s huge play was great but the Chiefs still found themselves a little farther back for a game winning field goal then most would feel comfortable with given Butker’s regulating ending miss. So would this set back derail the drive? No, because on the very next play Mahomes found undrafted rookie Darrel Williams for eight yards. An undrafted rookie was able to catch the ball and pick up eight key yards on the first NFL touch of his career. Another huge play.
Then after an incompletion on third down the Chiefs sent Harrison Butker back onto the field. Butker had missed two field goals already on the day but there would not be a third. In yet another display of mental toughness Butker hit the go ahead field goal. That meant the game was now in the hands of the defense to keep the Ravens from scoring.
The defense had their issues on the day. That’s for sure, but with the Ravens backed up by a penalty they would come through yet again when Justin Houston and Dee Ford met together on top of Lamar Jackson. The sack forced Jackson out of the game and two Robert Griffin III incompletions later the Chiefs were finally victorious.
The Ravens came into Arrowhead with a game plan and roster that seemed perfectly suited to beat the Chiefs. The Ravens basically executed that game plan as well as they could have hoped to and the Chiefs still found a way to come out with the win. It was as impressive of display of mental toughness that I can remember seeing from a Chiefs team in quite some time. I don’t know what the playoffs will bring this season and frankly, there isn’t any time to ponder it with an AFC West showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers just days away, but when the playoffs do come I certainly will feel better about how the Chiefs will perform after seeing the guts they showed on Sunday.
Andy Reid came away with the same impression.
"The thing that I'm most proud of is the resiliency of this group...the highs and lows and ebbs and flows, nobody was hanging their head...everybody came out & remained positive and kept themselves in attack mode."
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) December 9, 2018
~ #Chiefs coach Andy Reid on today's 27-24 win over the #Ravens.
So did Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder.
This pretty much sums up the day! pic.twitter.com/0hH6c6ANAE
— Rick Burkholder (@proatc) December 9, 2018
The Chiefs have one of the most exciting and talented quarterbacks in the NFL. They have a dynamic offense. They have an elite pass rush. They have the best home field advantage in the NFL. They also may just have the mental toughness to overcome anything in their path as they chase that elusive Super Bowl win.