It was over. We all saw what was about to happen. Baltimore had only one timeout remaining, and the best quarterback in the NFL had the Kansas City Chiefs in field goal range with their eyes on winning the game as time expired.
But football is never that simple. Even as we watched truly believing that there was no way the Ravens were going to beat Mahomes, we should have known better.
Behind the incredible performance of Lamar Jackson — and an untimely fumble — Baltimore found a way to get to 1-1 on the season as they beat the Chiefs 36-35 on Sunday Night Football.
After a Jackson touchdown run put the Ravens up by one late in the fourth quarter, Mahomes quickly got the Chiefs down to the Ravens 32-yard line and Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were already predicting the ending.
But Clyde Edwards-Helaire fumbled at the Ravens 34-yard line, Baltimore recovered, and head coach John Harbaugh went for it on fourth-and-one from his own 43-yard line.
THE ROOKIE ODAFE OWEH IS CLUTCH@PennStateFball
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 20, 2021
It was as gutsy of a call as you’ll ever see from a head coach. If the Chiefs were able to stop Jackson, they would have had the ball around Baltimore’s 45-yard line with roughly a minute left on the clock.
In other words … ballgame. But Harbaugh turned to the 2019 MVP in order to close the game.
"LAMAR! Do you want to go for this?" 😈 pic.twitter.com/ZfdJowmWyT
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2021
“No, there wasn’t,” Harbaugh said when asked whether there was ever a doubt if they would go for it on fourth down. “But I think I wanted to be sure myself, you know? I knew [Jackson] was going to say yes, but we were going for it at that point.”
The Chiefs’ offense looked unstoppable at times, with Mahomes taking Kansas City up and down the field with ease including touchdown passes of 33, 40, and 46 yards.
But a Mahomes interception late in the third quarter turned the tide, as Jackson scored on a two-yard run five plays later.
After a Kansas City punt, the Ravens went on a 14-play, 68-yard touchdown drive capped off by another touchdown by Jackson.
“He’s incredible, man,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said of Jackson. “That’s the guy right there. It’s hard to put into words, but he put the team on his shoulders many, many times tonight.”
It was the first time the Ravens have beaten the Chiefs with Mahomes behind center, and Jackson did all the heavy lifting.
He threw for 239 yards and ran for 107 yards on 16 carries, looking more prolific as the game progressed.
Kansas City will regroup and will be fine — though it was the first loss in the month of September for Mahomes — it was a giant win for Baltimore as they attempt to get over the hump in Jackson’s fourth season.
“It feels good to get that monkey off of our back,” said Jackson. “We’ve got to move on to Detroit now. We didn’t win the Super Bowl yet; it’s just one game. We’ve got to just keep staying focused.”
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.