Good reps: Chiefs’ backups step up
Confidence is evident in helping Mahomes to win against Ravens
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs entered Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday to play the red-hot Baltimore Ravens without their best wide receiver, their lead running back and their stalwart left tackle.
They still had Patrick Mahomes, though.
The reigning league MVP threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in another record-setting performance, and Kansas City’s defense corralled Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson most of the rain-soaked afternoon, allowing the Chiefs to squeak out a 3328 victory.
“Everyone gets reps with the starters, and guys just build that confidence that they can play,” said Mahomes, whose 13 games of at least 300 yards passing broke Kurt Warner’s mark for the most in the first 20 games of a career. “Whenever someone gets an opportunity they make plays.”
Such as wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman, who had TD catches while Tyreek Hill recovers from a broken collarbone. Or Lesean Mccoy and Darrell Williams, who combined for 116 yards rushing and a score in place of injured running back Damien Williams. Or Cam Erving, who filled in for left tackle Eric Fisher and helped to limit the Ravens to a single sack.
“I trust that guys are going to step up and play,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose 210th win broke a tie with Chuck Knoll for sixth-most in NFL history. “Each one of them collectively had a pretty good day. They took advantage of their opportunity.”
Chief among them was Robinson’s incredible one-handed stab of an 18-yard scoring pass Mahomes lofted to the corner of the end zone in the second quarter.
Missed opportunities, meanwhile, ultimately doomed the Ravens. They were stuffed once on fourth down, and three times they failed to convert on a 2-point conversion, leaving them chasing points all game.
The last came after Jackson scrambled for a touchdown with 2:01 to go. The conversion would have gotten the Ravens (2-1) within a field goal, but Jackson was shoved out of bounds short of the pylon.
Baltimore tried to get the ball back with a rare drop kick, but the Chiefs (3-0) calmly called for a fair catch. Then they converted on third down moments later to run out the clock.
“I don’t remember the situation or which was what, but every one of those was clear analytical decisions to go for two,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We had a mindset that we were going to come in and try to score as many points as we could. So, that’s what we tried to do.”
Mark Ingram was the Ravens’ biggest bright spot, running for 103 yards and a trio of touchdowns while catching four passes for 32 yards. Jackson finished with 267 yards passing and 46 rushing, most of that when he was trying to rally the Ravens from a big halftime hole.
Browns at Ravens (-4½), 10 a.m. Sunday; Chiefs (-6) at Lions, 10 a.m. Sunday.
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