Mahomes sharp, Chiefs shut down Ravens’ Jackson
Patrick Mahomes put on a scintillating show while outperforming Lamar Jackson, and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs deftly played the role of defending Super Bowl champions in a 3420 thumping of the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
Mahomes juked, danced, and jumped in and out of the pocket. Sometimes he just dropped back and fired pinpoint throws downfield. The common thread was that just about everything he did worked against an overmatched Baltimore defense that had allowed only two touchdowns in its first two games.
With Mahomes leading the way, the Chiefs (30) ended the Ravens’ 14game regularseason winning streak while extending their own run to 12 games (including playoffs).
Mahomes went 31for42 for 385 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions or sacks. Kansas City led 2710 at half and held on to defeat Baltimore (21) for the third year in a row.
In a duel between Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, and the player who won that honor last year, Jackson was no match.
Jackson completed 15 of 28 passes for 97 yards and ran for 83 yards, 30 of them on one carry during the Ravens’ opening possession. The fleetfooted quarterback is 214 as Baltimore’s starter, and three of those defeats have come against Mahomes.
The Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions — one on a run by Mahomes, the other on a pass — for a 133 lead. Following that second score, Ravens rookie Devin Duvernay fielded the kickoff and sprinted down the right sideline for a 93yard touchdown.
Kansas City followed with a threeandout, but Baltimore simply could not contain Mahomes for long. After he got the ball back, Mahomes completed passes of 29 and 18 yards before hitting Tyreek Hill for a 20yard score to cap a 73yard drive.
Briefly: Bears coach Matt Nagy confirmed Nick Foles had done enough in relief of Mitchell Trubisky in a 3026 comeback win Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons and selected the Super Bowl 52 MVP as Chicago’s starting quarterback . ... Fivetime Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey tore a biceps tendon against Tampa Bay. He’s the sixth starter the snakebit Broncos have lost this season . ... Browns return specialist and wide receiver Jojo Natson is done for the season after he suffered a torn knee ligament in Sunday’s win over Washington. ... The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Steven Hauschka, giving them a third kicker in the past week. Josh Lambo (hip) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, and the Jaguars turned to undrafted rookie Brandon Wright against Miami. Wright missed an extra point and injured his groin in a loss.