Baltimore Ravens: Why the Chiefs win is so significant

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens finally beat Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs, but the win is more significant than just a statistic.

The Baltimore Ravens finally got one over on Patrick Mahomes as they beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 36-35, in a Sunday night classic. Though the win could be huge for Lamar Jackson as he gets past his “kryptonite” for the first time, this win in this season means a lot more than just a one in the win column.

The Ravens have had a torrid year so far, losing all three of their top running backs to season-ending injuries in addition to star corner Marcus Peters before the year. And by the end of Week 1, they had lost cornerback Chris Westry and two tackles before they even started to think about playing the Chiefs.

The team from Maryland went into the Sunday night shootout very light at cornerback, starting two rookie tackles and utilizing two running backs who’d had less than a week and a half in the building. On paper, the game could easily have been a blowout. Though billed as Jackson vs. Mahomes, this one had a different meaning with the position of the Ravens.

For the Ravens, this was about fighting through the hand they’ve been dealt with the young guys and backup players stepping up and showing what they’ve got — and that’s exactly what they did.

On defense is where the young Ravens really showed out. Anthony Averett and rookie Brandon Stephens kept Tyreek Hill to just three receptions. Defensive tackle Justin Madubike brought some extreme pressure to Mahomes, and Tavon Young became the first player to pick off the 2018 MVP in September. Most importantly, who can forget rookie edge rusher Odafe Oweh, who brought pressure all night and eventually made the game-winning play, recovering a fumble late in the fourth quarter.

On offense, the Ravens find a way to get it done. Hollywood Brown is beginning to look like a No. 1 receiver with his second game in a row scoring a touchdown. Ty’Son Williams might be able to carry this team’s running game for this year. Jackson struggled at the start, but stepped up and led this team in the face of adversity.

The narrative has always been that you have to be at your best to beat the best team in the league, the Chiefs. But the Ravens came out, made mistakes, went back and played their game, riding the power of a superstar quarterback, which lifted everyone and forced a win at home.

Baltimore could have gone 0-2 and watched as everyone ruled them out. They took the loss against the Las Vegas Raiders on the chin, started slow, got angry and stepped up against the monster team that is the Chiefs.

In no way were the Ravens perfect, but they ran downhill and they couldn’t be stopped, this “beaten” team stepped up on the biggest stage against the biggest opposition.