Chiefs vs. Ravens: What we learned in Week 3

Lessons in accountability

One of the best feelings as a fan is when your team, after struggling, basically corrects every mistake they made the previous week. While last week’s game in L.A. wasn’t a cause for major concern, it was an uncomfortable 60 minutes (and then some). We saw poor tackling and an offense that seemed stuck in an interminable hiccup.

Well, the Chiefs more than corrected these issues. The tackling was quite good in Week 3, especially from the linebacking group, who rightfully received a lion’s share of criticism after struggling in L.A. Anthony Hitchens and Ben Niemann had a solid performance, with Hitchens especially showing some nice speed off the edge and great pursuit. Who would have thought that a date with Lamar Jackson would be the cure for tackling woes?

The offense, we know, was on fire in this game, and there was a collective energy and spirit for all four quarters that we didn’t quite see in the Charger game, until the fourth quarter and OT.

The point? The Chiefs displayed ownership over their Week 2 blunders. That correction, of course, starts with phenomenal coaching. Andy Reid, Eric Bienemy and Steve Spagnuolo were clearly as unhappy with the Week 2 effort as many fans were, and they channeled it into their effort against the Ravens. Shots of the sideline during the game showed Bienemy reaming the offense after a couple slow drives. Reid and Spagnuolo looked dialed-in and even angry at various points of the game. We even saw a tenacious, unusually feisty Mahomes barking at the offense.

Well-coached teams sustain their energy and effort across four quarters. Reid called an amazing game, as he put a clear emphasis on spreading the ball around early. It’s easier to sustain offensively when each of your primary weapons gets targeted early, as that is that way, quite literally, to get them into the game.. Bienemy’s vocal passion was fervent enough for his headset to fall off, and certainly injected a bit of juice in the offense late in the game, when they needed to punch in six to end the game.

So, we saw a focus on energy. Reid schemed the energy into the offense, and Bienemy helped by doing it the straightforward way: demanding sharper play and sparing no one. Beyond the coaches, it’s extremely encouraging that a 2-0 team, months removed from a Lombardi trophy, played their tails off. And that’s where on-field leadership, from Mahomes on offense and Tyrann Matthieu, Chris Jones, and, well, practically every defensive player we have, really shines.