4 takeaways from Chiefs’ Week 2 loss to Ravens
The Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes for a perfect season came to an end at the hands of Lamar Jackson last night in a gut-wrenching one-point loss on the road in Week 2. Valiant efforts from Patrick Mahomes and Tyrann Mathieu were nearly enough to be the difference, but miscues on both sides of the ball for Kansas City doomed the team in the fourth quarter.
For all of the overreaction after the close loss, the Chiefs deserved to lose the matchup against a battered Baltimore team that gave them every opportunity to put the Ravens away early. A total lack of pass rush on defense, and an uncharacteristically underwhelming performance from Tyreek Hill made this scrap an anomaly in what will prove to be a very long 17-game season. It’s always more fun to win, and this game proved that Kansas City is beatable, even if it takes some late-game heroics to steal a win against them.
Here were our biggest takeaways from the Chiefs’ first loss of 2021:
Porous defense failed to adjust
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Early interceptions by Tyrann Mathieu, including a pick-six on the game's first drive, were the only defensive highlights for Kansas City against Baltimore. The game was marked by the Chiefs' inability to get stops or otherwise keep the Ravens off the field, which was the decisive factor on the last drive. It seemed that they had something figured out in the first quarter, but a total lack of adjustment when things got hairy was part of the frustration for fans when the final whistle sounded. There should be no doubt that Lamar Jackson is an elite dual-threat quarterback, and no shame in losing a close game to one of the NFL's brightest young stars. But Kansas City has proven capable of stopping Jackson in the past, with this game marking their first loss at his hands in four total matchups since 2018. This loss should be a point of introspection for the Chiefs, and will hopefully lead to some adjustments down the line that could be the difference between irrelevance and another championship this season.
Chiefs have no answers against the run
AP Photo/Terrance Williams
Though their defense had no answers in general, the Chiefs' abominable game against the Ravens rushing attack was a huge part of the loss in week two. The irony, of course, is that they found success against a Browns team known for their ability to run the ball in their home opener, and Baltimore has three would-be starters on injured reserve at running back. Lamar Jackson led the game in rushing between both teams, which wasn't a surprise given his special abilities with the ball in his hands, but it was the performances of Latavius Murray, Ty'Son Williams, and Devonta Freeman that had fans shaking their heads at the Chiefs' inability to get stops. The Ravens kept possession for just under 36 minutes of game-time, effectively keeping the ball out of Mahomes' hands and forcing Kansas City to stop their ground game. After every Chiefs' loss since their run of dominance started in 2018, pundits ask if the victorious team has "found the blueprint" for beating the AFC favorites ad nauseum. It's not quite as simple as it looked on Sunday, as the defense usually looks at least mostly capable of getting a few stops, but if ever there was a game-plan that could slow them down, Baltimore executed it to perfection in Week 2.
New-look offensive line still working to gel together
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
For their part, the offensive line finished the game against Baltimore with a clean sheet in pass protection, keeping Mahomes upright for the duration of their Week 2 matchup. The Ravens have several players that can get after the quarterback, but were kept at bay in all four quarters, despite pulling out the win late with a forced fumble on Chiefs' running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Creed Humphrey struggled a bit, putting one snap from shotgun out of Mahomes' reach to set up a second-and-39 in the second quarter, marking the first adversity of his young career. Trey Smith and Joe Thuney played serviceably in the middle, but lacked the push they needed against Baltimore's speedy defense to really establish the run. While there is no need to pull the fire alarm on Kansas City's rebuilt offensive line just yet, the Chiefs' paltry 18 rushing attempts weren't an indication of confidence from the coaching staff about their ability to move the ball on the ground. The entire offense rests on Mahomes' shoulders at this point, and given that's the case the team's ability to make sure he didn't get sacked is most important. But to become one-dimensional in the NFL is to die, and Kansas City will need to reevaluate their offensive strategy to ensure a loss like this doesn't happen in the meat of their 2021 schedule.
Mahomes can't win by himself
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Lost in the knee-jerk reactions after the close loss was the quietly impressive game Patrick Mahomes managed against an underrated Ravens defense. One ugly interception thrown off-platform to avoid a sack in the third quarter was the only blemish in a performance that yielded just under 350 yards and three touchdowns on 24 completions out of 31 attempts. By any metric, Mahomes played excellently in the loss, but the tale of the tape tells a foreboding story of Kansas City's chances moving forward. He can't win by himself, or at least can't do it all himself against an elite talent on the other side of the ball. Travis Kelce provided a consistent outlet in the passing game, but the Chiefs lacked an effective run game, and Baltimore seemed to know what was coming on nearly every drive that could have put the game away. Mahomes' efficient play was totally overshadowed by Kansas City's defensive ineptitude and offensive miscues. If the mistakes continue at the rate they did against Baltimore, the Chiefs could end up a lot closer to .500 than a playoff contender at the end of this season.
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