(AP) Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won a showdown between two of the NFL’s top offenses.
The Ravens made them work for it until the very end.
Mahomes threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in another dazzling performance, Kansas City held quarterback Lamar Jackson in check most of the rain-soaked afternoon, and the Chiefs held on for a 33-28 victory over Baltimore on Sunday.
LeSean McCoy and Darrel Williams combined for 116 yards rushing and a score in place of the injured Damien Williams, while the Chiefs (3-0) stopped the Ravens three times on 2-point attempts.
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 dropkick, but the Chiefs calmly called for a fair catch. Then they converted on third down moments later to run out the clock.
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.
The Chiefs scored four times in the second quarter for the second consecutive week, this time getting three touchdowns and Harrison Butker’s 42-yard field goal to take a 23-6 lead. They scored four TDs in the second quarter last week in Oakland .
The Ravens actually scored first on Ingram’s touchdown plunge, then they took points off the board when a penalty gave them a shorter try at the conversion. Jackson was stuffed at the goal line in what would become a recurring theme for Baltimore all afternoon.
McCoy, hobbled by a sore ankle all week, gave Kansas City the lead with a touchdown run early in the second quarter. Then, after the Ravens’ turnover on downs, Mahomes lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone that Robinson caught with an incredible one-handed stab .
That highlight was joined by another on the Chiefs’ next possession, when the Ravens blew the coverage and Mecole Hardman was open downfield. The rookie hauled in the heave from Mahomes, then used his 4.3-second 40-yard-dash speed to sprint 83 yards to the end zone.
Ingram sandwiched two more touchdown runs around Mahomes’ third touchdown toss in the second half, and the second one got Baltimore within 30-19 with 12:22 to go. But the Ravens again tried for the 2-point conversion and again came up empty, leaving them in an 11-point hole.
That could have loomed large when Justin Tucker added a field goal. Instead, Williams ripped off a 41-yard run, the Chiefs picked up a couple more first downs, and Butker hit a 36-yard field goal that ultimately put the game out of reach.
