The Ravens were dominated by the Chiefs on both sides of the ball in Week 4, resulting in an embarrassing 37-20 defeat.
The Baltimore Ravens paired insult with injury on Sunday, losing five starters – including star quarterback Lamar Jackson – on their way to a 37-20 defeat vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.
Linebacker Roquan Smith, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins also left the game with injuries. Head coach John Harbaugh said after the game that none were thought to be season-ending.
It would be easy to point at the list of injured Ravens to explain Sunday’s ignominious performance. By the end of the game, Baltimore was without five of their six-highest paid players along with Wiggins, one of the few bright spots on the defense this year. However, it was clear early on that the Chiefs were the better team. Losing Jackson may have been the death knell for the game, but the Ravens were flatlining far before that.
For the second game in a row, Baltimore’s offense got off to a quick start with a touchdown on their scripted opening drive. Their next four drives ended in an interception, a 3-and-out, a turnover on downs, and a Jackson fumble for his second turnover of the day. Derrick Henry finished the first half with only four carries for 31 yards.
Baltimore’s defense, meanwhile allowed Kansas City to score on each of their first four possessions of the game with very little resistance. The Ravens could not contain Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who made two big plays in the first half on his way to 122 total yards from scrimmage. Neither side of the ball looked prepared for a Chiefs team that should be a familiar opponent by now.
The Ravens pulled off a successful end-of-half sequence with a midfield stop on defense, a missed Harrison Butker field goal, and a 43-yard field goal from rookie kicker Tyler Loop. That six-point swing cut the Chiefs’ lead to 10 points heading into the break, which felt like a small miracle given how both teams played up to that point.
In the second half, the score quickly started to reflect the true gap between the teams. The Chiefs opened the third quarter with another touchdown to bring the score to 27-10, and Jackson’s injury on the Ravens’ next drive overshadowed another Loop field goal.
At that point, the game was essentially over. Even the most optimistic Ravens fan could not expect Rush to lead a multi-possession comeback, especially with the defense getting walked up and down the field by the Chiefs. Kansas City added 10 more points to push the score to 37-13 with backups on both sides entering the game.
Ravens running back Justice Hill added a late 71-yard touchdown, the longest of his career, but there was no consolation to be found in the end zone. For the second week in a row, Baltimore was dominated in nearly every facet of the game in an embarrassing loss for a highly-paid, much-praised roster and coaching staff.
The Ravens drops to 1-3 with the loss, tied with the Cleveland Browns for last place in the AFC North. They will host the 1-3 Texans in Baltimore next Sunday.
Category: General Sports
