Andrew Ortenberg
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Make no mistake, this is still the Kansas City Chiefs’ league. In fact, it’s not even close. They made a statement on Monday Night Football, crushing the Baltimore Ravens 34-20. The Chiefs took their foot off the gas in the third quarter and briefly let the Ravens back in it, but the outcome never truly felt in doubt.
Patrick Mahomes certainly hadn’t been his sharpest through the first two weeks and the defense had struggled at times, leading many to speculate Kansas City would be taking a step back in 2020. A lot of pundits declared the Ravens the team to beat in the AFC after their dominance through two games, but when elite met elite it was clear the Chiefs were in a class of their own.
After tonight there is only one Super Bowl favorite and just a bunch of teams trying to keep up. The Chiefs were cut to +375 from +525 to retain their Vince Lombardi trophy, and it’s hard to disagree with that big market move. The Ravens meanwhile have been pushed out to +650, and have work to do to regain their Super Bowl hype. Find out more about the big odds swings after Week 3 of the NFL season in the Road to the Super Bowl.
Andy Reid somehow never runs out of ideas, and his offense gets more creative with each passing week. Mahomes showed that when he’s locked in and focused for a big game, there is no defense that can stop him. The Chiefs led 27-10 at halftime, and what’s incredible is that it shouldn’t have even been that close.
Kansas City by then had a missed extra point and missed field goal, and Baltimore had an improbable kickoff return touchdown that made the score look more respectable at the break. The truth is it was a complete mismatch from the beginning, and it doesn’t look like there’s going to be much competition for the lone first-round bye in the AFC.
The letter of the day is L
"The #ChiefsKingdom gave the #RavensFlock the fat L today" pic.twitter.com/GAkBDUimFR
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) September 29, 2020
Mahomes deserves all the credit in the world, and he had 385 yards and five total touchdowns, but Kansas City’s defense also looked pretty darn good considering they were still shorthanded. When cornerback Bashaud Breeland comes back from his suspension the secondary will only improve, and with Chris Jones and Frank Clark along the defensive line, the sky is the limit for this unit.
Jones had a crucial strip-sack of Lamar Jackson, and this Chiefs defense showed they were tired of getting disrespected in the media. They held Jackson to just 97 yards through the air on 28 attempts, a new career low for the reigning MVP. It’s not hyperbole to say they look like a team that could go 16-0, as even when they’re a long way from their best they still manage to gut out wins like they did last week in Los Angeles.
The Ravens are far from finished, and we very well may see a rematch of this game in the playoffs. The tough night may be good for Jackson’s development in the long run, as a little adversity could go a long way in hardening this team. But for now it’s the Chiefs who reign supreme across the NFL, and there shouldn’t be any more debate about that for the time being.
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