For the first time all season, everything went right for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a 37-20 drubbing of the Baltimore Ravens in front of a raucous Arrowhead crowd. In a critical spot staring down a possible 1-3 start, the Chiefs played some of their best football on both sides of the ball to get to 2-2 on the young season.
Offensively, the addition of Xavier Worthy back into the lineup opened things up for Patrick Mahomes and company, resulting in their best showing yet. However, it was the Chiefs' defense that was the most impressive unit for Andy Reid and company.
After giving up a touchdown on Baltimore's opening drive, the Chiefs held the Ravens without another point until the very end of the first half. By that time, the Chiefs had already raced out to a two-score lead and never looked back.
The ability to get pressure on Lamar Jackson was a massive part in that. Steve Spagnuolo heated Jackson up all afternoon, leading to one of the worst games of his career. The former MVP was pressured on an astonishing 56% of his dropbacks, the highest mark of his career with a minimum of 10 dropbacks according to ESPN.
To make matters worse for Jackson, he went down with a hamstring injury in the second half when the game was already out of hand and did not return. Cooper Rush took over at quarterback for Jackson, who had a pair of turnovers in the first half before leaving the game.
This game could be a springboard for a Chiefs team that was struggling to find a rhythm over the first two weeks of the season. The offense finally found some explosive plays and is just two games away from getting Rashee Rice back in the lineup. Defensively, if this formula of getting pressure on the opposing quarterback holds up against some better offensive lines, this could be a formula for another deep playoff run in Kansas City.
